where's your right?

no, i am not talking about what's right or wrong. i meant where's your left and where's your right. as a child, we learn early on as to what is left and what is right, or where is your left and where is your right - other than being taught what is right and what is wrong. gee, i hope you are not confused now.

ok, i'll get to the point. i drive my scooter everyday to work since this is the fastest way i know to travel around town - and i get to avoid the tedious rush hour of the morning and afternoon traffic - you know, the classic stretch of cars everywhere crowding the streets at an appointed time in the morning and the afternoon. also, sometimes i'd bring alexander to school on my bike - he loves our morning rides and he always look forward to each ride wearing his special helmet with the tiger motif. he's so proud coming and leaving the school on my bike - his classmates are always in awe and envy as i rev up the bike's engine - what is it with boys and engines?

anyway, in sweden, a lot of people bike especially at the start of spring towards autumn. you can actually bike from sweden to stockholm, or from gothenburg to malmö (and you can proceed to copenhagen, denmark if you want to) as there are special bike lanes for bicycle and scooter-riders all over the country. and there is one very important rule that applies to all pedestrians, or drivers of cars, scooters or bicycles: ALWAYS KEEP TO THE RIGHT! so, where's your right?


Swedish pedestrian signs ...

it is so annoying that out in the streets, people just don't know where their right side is. it's not in the middle of the street, not to the left but to your RIGHT! i'll say it again - your RIGHT! some people just don't seem to care. car drivers somehow know where their right side is (sometimes not!) or they'd get into trouble out in the open streets - so, i might as well direct my dilemma to the pedestrians and bikers in general who are using the bike lanes.

- there are those using the bike lanes in bicycles with their left hand using their mobile phones as they bike - phone pressed in their left ear while the right hand steers the bike in a very slow pace zigzagging right in front of you

- next are the pedestrians sharing the bike lanes with the bicycle and scooter riders - they dash out right infront of you without looking to either their left or right. and there are those who would walk right in the middle of the bike lane and, again, talking on their mobile phones unmindful of the traffic behind them

- then there are some scooter riders who drive their bikes in the bike lanes as if they are racing at the daytona racing track uncaring if they scare the wits of the elderly folks or children alike with their driving skills - the nerve!

i wouldn't have cared one bit if they just STAY ON THEIR RIGHT!

one odd thing about the norms in driving around in sweden is the nature of swedes being cool and calm in the traffic. waiting by the traffic light, if the red light turned into green and the car infront of them don't drive as they should have, the car behind it would patiently until it moves - and that could be a while, especially if the driver (again!) is busy talking on his mobile phone! to use your car horn is unimaginable in sweden - it's considered rude! what do you use your horn for, i asked my hubby one time - it's only for emergencies like accidents, he said. it's an unbelievably lame purpose if you ask me. in other parts of the world, car drivers and alike use their vehicular horn like mad dogs! imagine the manila traffic, in new york, in most city streets of italy, same as in the city streets of spain, portugal and france, or anywhere else in asia - everyone's using their horns! when i pointed this out to my hubby, he just smiled and say, "well, they are stressed and crazy people". does that make sense to you? but ok, in a way, traffic here is not as chaotic as one would think. it's actually bearable.

a swedish colleague to me once said "when you get into the car, you just drive. if you get stuck in a traffic, it could be a nice opportunity to clear your thoughts, or think of things you forgot to do during the day, or think of things you need to do and list them mentally in your head. if you think about the traffic unnecessarily, then you stress yourself physically and mentally for no special reason at all. just sit back and relax. you will get where you want to be at the end of the ride."

it's quite right ... quite right.

still, i hope that people, regardless whether drivers or pedestrians, would remember to STAY ON THEIR RIGHT!