Ragged Robin wrote:
Hardly anyone is prepared to consider the reasons for the problem, let alone that they might not be doing something to contribute to the problem.
Everyone has a good moan about an incident they were involved in or witnessed*
Everyone knows what should be done about it.
No one ever suggests HOW it should be done, given lack of facilities.
Ragged Robin
1. Yes we are prepared to consider the reasons for the problem - in fact we know it's lack of proper training - as stated in several posts above... why would you consider those who drive sensibly and within the law as contributing to the problem?
2. It's not moaning - its true. It's very dismissive and frankly quite rude for you to call 'moaners' those who have genuine points to make and safety concerns to raise -after all we might just have a point
3. There are several suggestions not least of which is proper stringent driving tests that cost no more to run than the poor quality testing currently in practice. Why do you think it costs more to run good tests?
4. It's not lack of facilities it's pure nonsense to suggest that isolation/embargoes are the cause.
I find your line of argument without much merit - still trying to excuse the bad driving habits is no help no matter who perpetrates them - be it locals or visitors.
Totally agree Groucho, whether we are in Cyprus or Outer Mongolia the standard of driving is atrocious, and, as it is our lives at risk on the roads too then we are entitled to voice an opinion.
To try to excuse the carnage on the roads in any shape or manner is irresponsible and ridiculous.
I have just returned from a drive into Girne where I witnessed a driving instructor directing a pupil on correct positioning of the car going around the roundabout. That was fine but for the child in back leaning forward between the instructor's and pupil's seats!!! How will they ever learn being taught like this.
Thanks Dalartokat,
I have just email Br Avci asking if there is anything we can do to help improve issues with driving in TRNC. Will let members know if I get a response. We really should be doing something, it should not go on as it is now.
Would love to relate my experience of taking lessons/test here to someone who would listen and take action to prevent more dangerous drivers on the road.
I also know of a case where the local young lady taking the driving test, offered the examiner a bottle of good brandy, this was refused as he preferred 100tl.This was given and then it was reduced to 80tl and she got her change!!!Beat that for corruption!!
Groucho: As one who has suffered (and continues to suffer) from aggressive driving by expat drivers I stand by what I have said.
With regard to more sringent testing: that would involve better qualified teachers and instructors: that would cost money. I hope I wont get banned for this (or perhaps I do because I cant stand much more of this discusion) but I thinkto deny isolation has resulted in lack of facilities is nonsense and demonstrates ignorance.
No-one took up my challenge re Cyprus and hte UK> The answer is they are the only countries that drive on the right. With our mutli racial society and particularly large number of immigrants from the Turkish mainland allowance should be made for the fact that many drivers may be confused by being on the "wrong" side of the road - particularly at roundabouts. I was prompted to think of htis by a memory of friends who were in Finland just before that country changed from left to right : there was a television campaign reminding drivers that on the 24th March (NOT the actual date I can remember it) they should drive on the right. It was so effective my friends (who dont even speak Finish) now back in England got into their car on 24th Marchpromptly drove onto the right side of the road!
A posisitive television campaign aim at promoting good driving habits would probably be the easiest and cheapest, People block or take offence at the shock horror ones, how effective was the drink/driving one in the UK?
Groucho wrote:Ragged Robin you are an accident waiting to happen - please inform of dates you will be driving so we can all avoid
you!
I consider the above to be an unnecessary slanderous, provocative and offensive personal attack . The fact I disagree with Groucho's views does not affect my driving ability, I am not going to respond in kind, nor quote my driving record (for fear of tempting fate)
RR - you can't just ask Mod's to close threads just because some one has a different point of view to the one you hold-on this particular occasion you have got something wrong,and now you feel a little foolish.
You were far more tolerant in your past persona.
Philoz: I am not complaining because I disagree with Groucho's views. I am complaining because he breached Forum rules by making a degoratory slanderous personal attack on me.
And I suggest you also refrain from personal comments - I am not feeling at all foolish, I have a right to my views, and I am angry at being forced off the Forum by people who wont accept that right.
Groucho wrote:Ragged Robin you are an accident waiting to happen - please inform of dates you will be driving so we can all avoid
you!
I consider the above to be an unnecessary slanderous, provocative and offensive personal attack . The fact I disagree with Groucho's views does not affect my driving ability, I am not going to respond in kind, nor quote my driving record (for fear of tempting fate)
I request the Moderators to remove the post.
Yeah well I consider the idea of you driving on the right to be downright dangerous!...
PS I think you are losing your sense of humour
PPS the also drive on the left in Japan, Australia and some other places too...
Groucho: Do you mean you were referring to a simple and obvious error in Message 60? which I acknowledged in response to KC's polite correction? If so why not make it clear.
Well I am sorry if we dont have the same sense of humour but I still think it offensive to make that kind of personal comment.
Point taken re Australia, but it doesnt affect the fact that driving on the "wrong" side can be confusing - googling it I see Australia provides large warning notices
RR Believe it or not - approximately 35% of the world's population drive on the left - people from one protocol seem able to transfer to the other without the mayhem we see here so I maintain that it's no excuse and if it really is that which is the problem then nobody who has learned on the right should be allowed to drive in countries that are left-hand driving and vice versa without taking a re-test to make sure they are competent to do so -
I do think a disproportionately high number of LH-Drive cars on the roads of Cyprus is not a healthy thing especially in the hands of impatient PSV drivers who are often aggressive in their driving style - I'm particularly concerned at the number of coaches, buses and taxis that are operating on TRNC roads as often, by virtue of the driver's position they can't see up the road they pull out to see if it's OK to overtake often causing swerving hard braking to oncoming cars and all sorts of other dodgy stuff.
However I don't believe that is the root cause of the problem - I think it's the manoeuvres that they find acceptable that the rest of think are simply crazy that are.... Overtaking around blind bends for example - how often we see this is simply mind-boggling - I'm afraid the ethos of 'Insallah' it seems is all too often accepted as excusing them from personal responsibility - which in any rational community it does not.... Here the flouting of laws and standards of behaviour is taken as 'Cypriot' not dangerous - which all too often it is - suicidal. Their own often young people are being killed at alarming rates and yet all we get is a shrug of the shoulders palms of the hands out from those who accept that this is an immutable aspect of Cyprus life - Çok ayıp
Last edited by Groucho on Sun 03 Aug 2014 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
My neighbours have three cars and a scooter. Car seats for a baby in the back fine. They go out on the scooter with no crash helmets and the baby about a year old sandwiched between them. I am appalled. My other neighbour is a police man lovely guy family man but he says nothing to them. Is it because he is off duty? Unbelievable.
We witness situations like this every day in our village with the police turning a blind eye to those who are blatantly breaking the law A local friend said "the police will not get involved because they are either friends and in some instances relatives of the offenders..if true it's just totally unacceptable!
The same style of "undertaking" is rife in the RoC as well so I doubt that the reason for poor driving here is "Inshallah" after all. In fact the last time I drove in Malta - ok that was 1975 - the taxi drivers used to take their hands off the wheel when crossing a junction and let the car be driven and saved by the Madonna!!! Anyone who has driven in Malta recentley? Could you tell us what the driving is like there now because we never hear about it and I often wonder how they cured their problem. By the way they did not drive on the left or the right there - they drove in the shade!!!
There are also warning signs leading up from the new docks in Girne that you must drive on the left - in case you missed them!
Apart from the obviouse poor teaching and appalling testing for new vehicle drivers here I think a big part of the problem is the absolute refusal for the Turkish people to que in any form whatsoever - they must always be in front, regardless.
I did see in Germany on a military base that they had left the crashed vehicle complete with the body inside outside the camp gates for 24 hours as a warning - now that did concentrate the mind!!!
Now here is a starter for ten - instead of making wonderful to the eye roundabouts, place on them the crashed vehicles for all to see and leave them there for a week as a reminder!!!!
No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.
I think we should go over to driving on the right in the TRNC. Perhaps we could start with cars and if that goes alright, after a year get lorries and buses to do the same!
A few years back a car wreck from an accident was displayed on the left hand side of the Girne-Lefkosa road about a kilometer from Lefkosa. I don't remember it having a significant impact (oops, wrong word) on speeding on that section of road.
That one was displayed/parked in the little train station area? From a policeman friend of mine, it was taken away because bits went missing off it! People thought it was just dumped there so used it for free spares because they could get at it easily.
Put them on the roundabout's and their impact becomes greater!
No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.
I think the joined-up thinking would indicate that rather than proper testing and enforcement costing too much - the savings to be made in emergency services, hospital treatment, police services, destroyed families and orphaned children would more than compensate for the costs of making the roads safer....
Let's not think that the people being paid to run the teaching, driver testing, vehicle testing, policing and prosecuting are not being paid enough to do their jobs properly.... They are often getting money for nothing given the very very poor quality of their performance....
I mean, come on - who thinks they do a sterling job?
Seems to me if you are a local you kiss the police who turn up and it's the other guys fault by default of not having relatives on the force.... It's rife.
Last edited by Groucho on Sun 27 Jul 2014 5:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Any friends who come and drive here, I always say when you see a car waiting to come out of a side road, expect him to pull out when you are a few meters away, He will!!
Owl Lady wrote:Any friends who come and drive here, I always say when you see a car waiting to come out of a side road, expect him to pull out when you are a few meters away, He will!!
That will save them the bother of overtaking you going around a blind bend!
waddo wrote:The same style of "undertaking" is rife in the RoC as well so I doubt that the reason for poor driving here is "Inshallah" after all. In fact the last time I drove in Malta - ok that was 1975 - the taxi drivers used to take their hands off the wheel when crossing a junction and let the car be driven and saved by the Madonna!!! Anyone who has driven in Malta recentley? Could you tell us what the driving is like there now because we never hear about it and I often wonder how they cured their problem. By the way they did not drive on the left or the right there - they drove in the shade!!!
There are also warning signs leading up from the new docks in Girne that you must drive on the left - in case you missed them!
Apart from the obviouse poor teaching and appalling testing for new vehicle drivers here I think a big part of the problem is the absolute refusal for the Turkish people to que in any form whatsoever - they must always be in front, regardless.
I did see in Germany on a military base that they had left the crashed vehicle complete with the body inside outside the camp gates for 24 hours as a warning - now that did concentrate the mind!!!
Now here is a starter for ten - instead of making wonderful to the eye roundabouts, place on them the crashed vehicles for all to see and leave them there for a week as a reminder!!!!
Re Malta Never fear Waddo we lived there for nearly a year 2011/12 and the driving is still bad, I had no experience of taxis, but the other half had to use one and had to repeatedly tell the driver to slow down. One morning on his way to work he got stuck behind a stream of slow moving cars, when he eventually got to the bypass and could overtake the slow car, he discovered that the driver was reading an A 4 document at the time!
LL
We also lived in Malta in the early 60's, the bus drivers never sat directly behind the wheel but off to one side, there was a small shrine of the Madonna in the cab so if he had a crash he was not driving.
The best thing about driving in Malta was riding shot gun on the garries after a good night out.
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. Confucius 551-479 BC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28551069
They should come here.... we've had them for years!
Cars that lose control - even though you, I and everybody else knows it's the driver that loses control....
What are the legal implications of a human having a head on with a driverless car---- it doesn't bear thinking about!
WOW! that should be made mandatory watch to, BEFORE anyone is allowed behind the wheel of a car. Should be shown, especially at driving schools, World wide.
