Oranges and Lemons

Unlike the namesake boy band who got notoriously popular for a song that sounded eerily close to a tune made famous by a very caring foreign band, this article will not try to plagiarize anyone else’s work and deny anything by quoting the rule of the seventh gear progression.  I am using the title as a basis of comparison between what I have seen in my recent trip to shopping country versus what we are stuck with.  Remember when your teacher once said, “you can’t compare apples to oranges?”  Well, this is kind of what it is.

First, let’s start with road discipline.  In the shopping country, all vehicles line up the way they arrive at an intersection.  You don’t see vehicles squeezing in between lanes to try to get alongside the first vehicle that got there.  And the biggest kicker, you don’t see helmetless moped drivers who snake their way through the line and encroach onto the pedestrian lane to get ahead of everyone else.  They actually stay in their lane and wait behind the vehicle in front of them.

Despite being very densely populated, the shopping country is able to transport over seven million commuters everyday through a very efficient and disciplined public transport system using buses, cabs and a monorail. They do not have public utility jeepneys or multicabs that unnecessarily stop and or breakdown everywhere.  They don’t even have a designated bus lane, yet the entire system works.  I guess part of this also has to do with commuters actually waiting in the designated stops and not being prima donnas by just waiting at areas where they prefer to wait, be it an actual stop or not.

It is interesting to note that, despite having roads more narrow than our main thoroughfares, their vehicles effortlessly travel these roads with almost no one honking their horn.  When they reach junctions or bottlenecks, every driver is apparently knowledgeable in the art of driver courtesy and take turns entering the said section.  If that scenario were to be played out in our streets, you’d have every driver elbowing each other’s vehicle out of the way just to get ahead.

Second, road work safety.  All over this bustling metropolis, there are ongoing road improvements and repairs.  Despite the numerous projects, traffic congestion is at a minimum in these areas.  Local traffic authorities posted alternative route signage a few blocks before the actual worksite, giving motorists optional routes to take to minimize congestion.  The worksite itself has all the proper signage and devices warning pedestrians and motorists of potential hazards.  From orange cones with reflective wraps, to double-layered, interlocking orange and white plastic barriers to make sure no pedestrian accidentally wanders into the worksite, the area is properly secured.  Plus, each worker is equipped with the proper safety gear from head to toe.  Not the entire workforce having to deal with just one set of safety gear. Or having a worksite that is poorly lit by a burning paint can, cordoned off with yellow caution tape.

Lastly, no clunkers.  I had been in the city for over a week and, except for their comfortable taxis, I have yet to see a vehicle that is at least fifteen years old.  Existing vehicle registration laws and eco-friendly vehicle replacement incentives have rid their streets of breakdown-prone vehicles.  We, on the other hand, love to keep our vehicles running until their last corrosive breath.  Nevermind that it breaks down at every turn and cause inconvenience for everyone else, we will use old faithful until it falls apart.

Going around the shopping country for over a week has been like living in paradise with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in my hand.  Sadly, paradise didn’t last too long and I’m now having to sip through the extremely sour road and traffic cocktail that our inept leaders serve us day in and day out.  Instead of emulating the success of others, we tend to plagiarize their work and implement them in the skewed way our leaders are used to.  Why?  Because, Pinoy tayo.