She says...

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 11

She says...

Suburban shopping centres call for special care when you’re driving. I’m convinced that there are few other places where you’re likely to see quite so much erratic driver and pedestrian behaviour in such a short distance. For a start, the situation is likely to be vastly complicated by one of my particular “hates” — unnecessarily double-parked trucks and vans left out in the roadway because the drivers are- too lazy to make the effort to park at the kerb, or too lazy to carry a small parcel an extra 10 metres. I’ll warrant that at least half of the double-parked trucks you see in suburban centres could be parked at the kerb.

Necessary or not, they narrow ’ the roadway, block the view of both pedestrians and drivers, force cyclists out into the traffic stream, and generally create a situation that calls for a lot of extra caution.

Pedestrians are inclined to ignore the crossings, and dive across the road, from store to store, laden with parcels, giving little thought to the presence or problems .of the vehicles on the road. *i

Meanwhile, vehicles are moving ,in and out of parking places, there’s likely to be a bus stop in am origst it, all somewhere, and there’s always the prospect of ’ a runaway toddler or dog taking a dive from the kerb into the middle of the maelstrom. The horrifying thing is that ink Spite of all this, and . all the obvious dangers: and visible hazards, .there are so many drivers and motorcyclists who: are content to rush through it all at 50 km/h, or? considerably more. Surely the wonder, is that there are not more accidents. — Barbara Petre.