Sunday 23 March 2014

One in the eye

My driver didn't collect me yesterday morning which had me slightly concerned he might have been involved in an accident.  Eventually another driver arrived making me only a few minutes late for work.  I went downstairs at the end of the day to find my usual driver waiting.  He then turned to look at me and I immediately noticed his very red and weeping left eye.  I think he has been poked in the eye over the weekend.  Despite his injury he managed to deliver me safely home and was then waiting for me at the usual time this morning.

The roadworks here are starting to become dreadful.  Heaven knows what the situation will be like when they start building the new metro train system.  There seems to be a habit of digging holes and then not filling them in after the work has been completed.  At one point on the journey there is a stretch where they have deep excavations on both sides of the road.  Moreover they are separate projects.  Even worse; further back they are starting to excavate a stretch of road that was only recently filled and sealed.

Of course all the excavating has created a traffic choke point.  Saudi Arabian drivers don't like choke points.


So here we are approaching the excavations where the road narrows from four lanes to two.  In anticipation  the traffic has already started to form eight lanes, with even more vehicles coming down the verge on the right to squeeze across.


Of course the traffic gets into a snarl to the musical accompaniment of many car horns.  The traffic gradually squeezes itself into two lanes in 'fits & starts'.

Further along we hit our third stretch of excavations.  This time it's for a new sewer main.


This last portion always amuses me.


Note the large sign in English "Tour Suites".  It should probably read "Holiday Apartments".  But these things happen when you use Google Translate :-).  No doubt the Arabic is correct!  Obviously you noticed the excavation out the front!



1 comment:

  1. Not only Saudi drivers do not like restrictions. Boston USA I watched as 4 cars ahead of me refused to give way as the freeway went from 4 to 2 lanes with very large concrete walls each side. They jammed together blocking the road. I was happily braking but in my rear view mirror was a very large artic with smoke pouring from its brakes. Luckily we all stopped in time.

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