THERE is a growing body of evidence to suggest a good portion of Bendigo’s motorists simply should not be allowed behind the wheel.
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Every day at intersections across the city the most basic road rules are routinely flouted, resulting in crash after crash after crash.
If you are looking to open a new venture in Bendigo, you could do far worse than starting a tow truck company or smash repair business.
The existing operators must be making an absolute killing, scarcely believing their luck as motorists crash into each other like they are driving dodgems at the show.
No doubt Bendigo has its fair share of congested and confusing intersections – every city, town and village does.
But that does not begin to explain or excuse the amount of easily avoidable crashes occurring every day.
The reality is too many drivers either do not know the road rules, or think for some reason they apply to everyone but them.
We all know a driver who is only too eager to thump the horn in anger when someone else is at fault.
And we all know often it is this exact same person who thinks nothing of committing the same egregious act themselves.
If you fancy an overseas holiday but lack the finances, just observe the traffic flow at some of the city’s busiest roundabouts. Before too long you will feel like you have been transported to Mumbai or Ho Chi Minh City or some other exotic metropolis where road rules are yet to be invented.
Instead of approaching a roundabout with caution, Bendigo motorists approach with an aggression so palpable you can see it in their eyes. Not content to wait until the coast is clear, they see the smallest gap and charge forward, expecting the other road users to slow down to accommodate them.
And the amount of crashes taking place at traffic light-controlled intersections can only lead one to suspect Bendigo is beset with an epidemic of colourblindness. All other explanations are unprintable.
It is high time Bendigo’s drivers take a deep breath, grow up and stop treating the city’s streets like a Formula One circuit.
A few seconds here and there waiting at an intersection for the traffic to clear will not make a material difference to your daily commute. But ploughing into ongoing traffic and having to explain your actions to the police or insurance company definitely will.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor