28 July 2010
Posted in
BoholLife Blog -
Daily Life in Bohol
Walking around Tagbilaran City, you quickly notice, that as a pedestrian you are shown little or no respect by drivers of any type of vehicle.
There are numerous pedestrian crossings, but unlike Europe, where these normally give priority to people crossing the street, not here. Be warned, you will be expected to make way for the traffic.
From my experience bus, tricycle and jeepney drivers are the worst offenders but the private vehicle owners fair little better.
Stop lights are another area where one should take care. Many drivers will completely ignore the red stop light and proceed across the junction, seemingly oblivious to the rules or danger.
Cars blocking the sidewalk, is another common annoyance. I find some car owners often have a superior attitude, believing they have the right to park wherever they like ( I'm alright jack attitude)
The picture at the top of this article shows how no room has been left between the cars on the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to walk out on to the main highway to get past.
It would be amiss of me not to mention that many pedestrians have little regard for their own safety. It is common to see people crossing the road in dangerous places often with young children.
I get stressed a little at times when walking around town. People will push past you when entering the mall. Many shuffle along the street two of three abreast, unaware of anybody around them. If you’re polite and wait for a mother and child to pass through a narrow gap, for sure a person will just walk past with total disregard.
Sad to say, being courteous here seems to equate to being weak or just plain stupid. You get used to it and after a while and go with the flow.
I am often told it’s a Cultural thing, but to be honest I don’t think bad manners can be blamed on culture. There are many extremely Polite and Courteous Filipinos out and about, so blaming culture just does not cut it and is offensive to Pinoys in general.
Be careful, don't get complacent. There is limited driver training, if you can afford a car you can drive it on the road.
