Kuching is not safe any more. It is no longer the quaint, polite and quiet small town that it has used to be. This is because of the presence of drivers who no longer care about the simple courtesy and safety of others on the road. The town that used to pride in hospitality and politeness has become an equivalently uncaring Asian city that is even more depressing by the lack of decent shopping malls.
Motorcycles now hog the center of the road rather than allowing cars to pass through. Cars speed and shift between lanes repeatedly like they are racing while trying to overtake others. People do not use the indicator to indicate that they are changing lanes or turning in. It is common for someone to drive the wrong side of the road to get to a certain area because it's 'faster'. Traffic lights that were meant to regulate traffic and ensure the safety of all road users are now nothing but glorified colourful lamp posts. People now use the flash instead of the honk for some reason. The worse of all is when people try to take justice into their own hands by dangerously risking their lives and others by doing illegal manoeuvres just to punish someone.
Most of you probably think that I am just being ridiculous or its just a concern from some faux intellectual that tries to be smart and show off his 'powderful England.' This is however, serious. I don't feel safe driving in Kuching roads. I actually hate driving period. If given what I wanted, I would actually buy myself a tank and cruise down the roads, knocking everything away in my path. Sucks to be you, the driver who has to suffer from my tank. At the very least, I know, I am safe.
