At about 11.15am on 13 February there was a four vehicle fender-bender in Glenhove Road just below the Venus Street intersection, and literally within three minutes tow trucks were on site soon followed by an emergency vehicle and some time later by an ambulance.
Obviously there was a lot of traffic congestion and to add to the shambles there was the sound of blue light sirens approaching from the Oxford Road side.
This made me want to do cartwheels of delight as I presumed they were announcing the advent of a couple of politicians who live in the vicinity, and who announce their way to Pretoria in this manner regularly twice a week.
I wanted to see how they would handle the indignity of having to slow down to navigate past the scene just like any of us humble citizens.
Unfortunately my hopes were dashed, because the VIP motorcycles with their sirens were not escorting politicians this time. Instead it was a blue double-decker open-top bus, passing down the middle of the road in the face of oncoming traffic, from which were leaning some gentlemen holding vuvuzelas of various colours.
Regrettably it passed too quickly for me to see who, or what, was being carried in it, but I can only presume it was something to do with soccer.
The question is why should these people have more right to the road than any of us?
Glenhove Road, up until the late ’40s, or early ’50s, was a cul-de-sac and ended at a stream which is today the site of the M1.
It is therefore a normal suburban road which was never designed for, and never meant for, handling the huge volume of traffic it has to today as the main artery between the M1 and Rosebank.
For that very reason blue lighters, unless it is an emergency, should not be able to expect any preference over other traffic in its use, and should be treated just like any other citizen.
