Driving Annoyances

After living here almost 2 years, I've come to accept some totally annoying issues with driving in Singapore.   I'd like to share with you a few of them so you can get a feel for driving here.

1) CONSTANT road construction.  This country is always growing, so hence the need to redo roads, build and stuff.  So routinely roads will suddenly swerve to avoid a new building going up.

2) Cars that park in a driving lane.-- You say WHAT?  Yes, they really just stop their car in the road and run into a store/restaurant or even attend church.  Near us we constantly were having cars park on the road outside a popular restaurant- so Friday and Saturday night the lane was blocked.  Finally, the government hung parking cameras, so now if you park on the road you'll get a ticket.

3) Number 2 leads me to a pet peeve #3- Parking garages.  EVERYWHERE you go you must park in a garage (unless you pull a #2).  Just to go to the bank, food store, fast food-- whatever they are all in malls with parking garages.  No quick errands.

4) Speeding and red light cameras everywhere.  The benefit is they at least let you know you are entering a speed camera zone.  One of my friends even has a GPS system that alerts her she's entering a speed zone, just in case she missed the sign.

5) Pet peeve #5 is when a main travel lane also be a turning lane.  So if you are behind a car that decides to turn from your lane you must wait until they get the arrow to turn before you can continue straight along in your lane.  Ugh-- this happens constantly so you have to be prepared and get out of that lane beforehand and if there is too much traffic to change lanes, your stuck!

 




6) Sticking your car butt out.  For some reason people here can't seem to get their entire car into the turning lane, so the rear end is sticking out into the lane that continues straight.  Once again causing a back up and people trying to get around them.

7) Annoying signs that brainwash people.  Speeding Kills!