New Highway Code Supposed to Protect Pedestrians and Cyclists

Oops. The highway code in your house may be out of date.

The road safety rules, regulations and recommendations are being changed in the UK. The idea is to protect the most vulnerable, the pedestrians. Going up the hierarchy, cyclists, motorcyclists, cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles. Horse riders are included. The rules will bring the UK more in line with Germany, Japan and Singapore. 

Two major things I noticed. When, as a pedestrian, I am crossing a road, not just on a zebra crossing, but especially on a corner, traffic turning into my road from the main road is supposed to stop and wait. (Not swing around fast, nor hoot and speed up and try to scare the pedestrian into running across!)

Massive amounts of money have been spent on installing cycling lanes. However, the latest idea is that cyclists should keep to the middle of the road where they are more visible. 

So called smart motorways have resulted in more motorway accidents. I am not the only one wondering whether the new rules will bring the benefits being boasted about. The campaign to inform the public starts in mid February, although the rules have just been introduced now, at the end of January, January 29th 2022.

Useful Websites

UK

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59997523

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10454809/Cyclists-middle-road-drivers-POWERLESS-stop-new-Highway-Code.html#comments

https://www.think.gov.uk/

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/highway-code-cars-at-back-of-queue-but-they-dont-know-it-yet-d8jwqd65w

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2022/01/new-2022-highway-code-changes-are-you-aware-of-the-new-rules/

SINGAPORE

https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/RTA1961-R11

USA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_manual

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Books by Angela Lansbury
How to be the best man. (Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Wedding Speeches and Toasts.(Ward Lock / Cassell.)
Unforgettable British Weekends.
Poetry Workshop Workbook.
The Tailor and the Spy. (Lulu.)
Larry The Talking Labrador. (Lulu.)
Writing Poetry for fun.

Quick Quotations

Who Said What When

 

How The Haze Affects Your Health, Finances and Travels

Where is the haze and when and why?
My family has been experiencing haze in Singapore. I have cancelled my daily swim and I will tell you my other expeiences in a moment. But you will be wondering which countries are affected and how this affects your business and holiday plans.


Haze in KL, Malaysia.



Haze over the Merlion, symbol of Singapore. Picture from Wikipedia article on haze.

This is a neat summary by Wikipedia.

The 2019 Southeast Asian haze is an ongoing trans-national air pollution crisis which affects several countries in Southeast Asia, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Thailand began to experience haze in February 2019 until mid May 2019, peaking in March and April. Later in the year, starting from June-July 2019, Indonesia began to experience haze. Malaysia was affected from August 2019, while Singapore and Brunei experienced haze in September 2019.

It is the latest occurrence of the Southeast Asian haze, a long-term issue that occurs in varying intensity during every dry season in the region. It has mainly been caused by forest fires resulting from illegal slash-and-burn practices, principally on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan,

Flag of China

Yellow Dust, China and Korea
Yellow dust has also affected Beijing in China, and Korea, but that's another problem, an extra problem. Meanwhile, in Asia we have haze.Who cares if you are not in Asia? Well, there are lessons to learn for the USA and Europe, your overseas colleagues could be affected, and your investments may be affected.

Haze All Over Asia
The haze is bad for business. It doesn't just affect the children, the elderly, the pregnant, the nervous.

Flag of Singapore

Flights
First, the haze can affect flights. You can't land a plane if you cannot see. You cannot fly across the city.

Flag of  the USA

As I discovered on the day of 9/11, if the flights in one part of the world are affected, there's a knock on effect in other parts of the world. Planes are turned back or don't set off. People miss their connections and half empty flight are cancelled. The plane from one continent does not arrive so the ongoing section is also affected. A delay in take off means the pilots and crew are over their permitted time and the plane has to wait for another crew to bbe assembled.

Road Transport
Increase in road accidents. Cars run into each other. Poeple try to tailgate and hit the car in front which slows or stops when visibility ceases, causing accidents.

Your air crew may be in airport hotels, and so may the passengers. But if some of them are in the city and cannot get to the plane that causes problems.

Different countries have different solutions. Take India, for example.

Flag of India

Indian Car Pollution Solution
Cars in cause pollution. So oen measure has been to allow cars to operate on alternating days according to the numberplate, odd numbers one day, even numbers the next.

Car Sharing
So if you and your enighbour have cars which fall into different categories, on odd number days you share one car, on even number days, you share the other.This works if you don't have more than half the seats filled by one family.

Pedestrians and Cyclists
I am planning a trip to a company in Singapore. That involves a walk from the station. But we are told not to go outdoors. Sports are cancelled. Construction workers are recalled. The security on the gate.

Zoos
The staff in the Safari park. The animals in the zoo are inside.

Symptoms
What are the symptoms of the haze? I keep clearing my throat, as if I have a sore throat or bad cold starting. My eyes look bloodshot.  I keep coughing.
My eyes feel prickly.

Business Meetings
So, I don't want to walk to my business meeting. What are the alternatives? I could take a bus. But that involves sitting out in the open air waiting for the bus if the bus is not frequent.

Offering Lifts
I might get a lift back to the station. I might not.

Taxis And Costs
What about the cost of the taxi? There and back. Twice a day for a week, or more. 28 trips averaging 10 dollars. What if the other person cancels? Waiting for the taxi at the pick-up point exposes me to the air.

Schools Closed
Schools are closed. That means parents have to stay home to look after their children. Shops and services and businesses are closed.

Sports
The swimming pool lessons are cancelled. The golf tournaments.

Swimming pool in Singapore.

Restaurants
Restaurants with outdoor seating are losing half their business.

Waiting For Your Driver
I could call a grab or taxi. Both ways if I do not get a lift home. The person kindly offering me a lift wants me to wait at the pick up point outside the station. But that involved standing by traffic fumes and breathing in the haze. I have to arrive early to be sure not to miss the driver.

Motorcycling
Motorcyclists are affected. You could cancel your outing and your trip to the outdoor restaurant. Order food delivered. But the Domonis pizzza and McDonalds delveries and Deliveroo might cancel delivered to protect the health of their drivers.

Social Engagements Cancelled
My Singaporean friend Shan (ethnic Chinese, speaking Mandarin friend who married a men from Australasia, has a second home in Australia. She decided to fly back to Australia last time there was a haze. So her lunch with me was cancelled. I started to feel like the last rat on a sinking ship.

Buying Property
Singaporeans keep telling me to sell my home in the UK and buy in Singapore. If I sell up in the UK I have nowhere to go back to. I am having second thoughts. Will I really want to reture to Asia and the haze when the haze is bad for the elderly?

Wind Direction
The wind blows away the haze. Relief. Then the wind changes.

Where Is the Fire?
Fires are in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Flag of Malaysia

Talks are taking place about fines or punishments for those who are residents of one country, running businesses in another. Instead of waiting for Indonesia to fine the subsidiary company in in Indonesia, fining the main company in Malaysia or Singapore, and vice versa. If it costs only 40 dollars (per foot, per acre or whatever.  to clear land by fire, but to clear by other conventional means costs 400, a business is tempted to take the cost effective route. If the government fines so that the balance is changed, or puts poeple in prison, or takes other measures, that might affect the matter.

Who is paying for the preventive measures? It costs money to send out planes, drop water, deploy the army. Add the cost to the emergency services, sending the firefighters, compensating firefighters who lost their lives, ambulances, hospital staff.

Farmers have lost lives trying to protect their crops and cattle.

Shutting Windows
In Singapore we are looking at windows. The open air scullery areas. The maids walking the dog and cleaning the car in the open sided car parks.

Wearing Masks
The number of people wearing masks is increasing. The people across from you on the train are wearing masks.


Masks

Buying Masks
You can buy masks from pharmacies but when there's a spike in the haze the masks run out. Some masks are only effective a few hours.

Masks are unfomfortable to wear.

Before buying a mask check the different kinds. Dust marks are not the same as haze masks.


Tourism Affected
Do you enjoy tourism when there's a haze. Even if you were not worried about your health, the safari park is shut. The walk to the Gardens By The Bay from the MRT means you might take a taxi instead. The cheaper hawker centre, the outdoor food court, will be deserted and closed.

Coffee Shops and Fast Food
The outdoor areas of McDonalds and Starbucks are empty.

Photographs
The picture of the Taj Mahal or another pretty building, the mosque in Malaysia, all shrouded in mist, or against a white sky instead of blue. The 'ordinary' buildings, the skyscrapers, are against a white sky.

Windows and Fans
I wake to feel groggy. The air is stifling. What is wrong. The patio doors to the balcony have only a little gap for air. I close them. The bathroom air is bad. The high window by the shower is adjar, always. I must clea a path to all doors and windows to clear them in a hurry. We used to leave open the doors and windows to create a through breeze and save the cost of air conditioning.

What I Cancel
If a meeting is held in the outdoor void deck of a Community Center, I won't stay. If the get together after the meeting is at an outdoor hawker center (food court) I won't go.

Tip
Look for free masks given away free at hospitals and clinics.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Dust
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asian_haze

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Almost human flashing traffic light

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Seen in Singapore. I walked back to a car park past this figure. It attracts the attention of both pedestrians and drivers. My new Singaporean friend (who kindly gave me a lift home from a Toastmasters international meeting at Singapore Institute of Management nearby) told  me that she had seen other variations on this figure.

It is signalling a yellow warning with a series of small lights. Presumably they change to red aand green. I took the photo when the lights were yellow. It looks as though you can set the figure up anywhere when you are doing roadworks.

Instead of a real life policeman or woman standing in the middle of the road with a whistle, or a lollipop lady, you have an almost human mannekin.

There's always something surprising to see in Singapore, and indeed travelling anywhere. Travel -beats boredom, distracts you from depressing thought, produces genuine joy.

Useful Websites

Singaporeair.com

Author

Angela Lansbury

Being Drunk Could Invalidate Your Travel Insurance. Why? When? Drunk driving, pedestrians, falls and accidents

Problem
You are going to a party on Saturday night. But you are driving to your destination on Sunday. Does this mean you cannot drink on Saturday night?

Answer
I was in that situation two years running. I was going to a Writers Circle party on the Saturday night. On the Sunday I was driving to a Writing Holiday.

No To Drunk Driving
Knowledge has increased. I remember my shock on learning that you could still be over the limit the morning after.

Clearly, if you drink at midnight, and drive home at one in the morning, you are over the limit. But if you drink to two in the morning and drive at eight in the morning, you may still be over the limit. I was at a party starting at about eight in the evening and ending about eleven in the evening.

I decided that I could not have even one drink, because one drink could lead to two. Because if a policeman or doctor asked me if I had had anything to drink, I did not want to find myself hesitating, stammering, saying, "Well, er, it was only, um ..."

More importantly, I wanted my wits about me when driving, or protecting myself and property at motorway stops and in unfamiliar situations and places.

Drunk Pedestrians
We have all seen drunk pedestrians staggering out of pubs or veering along the pavement, even sitting on the curb, using it as a seat, or falling over the drop, or lurching into the road without looking. In the UK, USA and Australia official bodies have released figures about the numbers of pedestrian accidents involving drink. If you want a quick check, references are compiled by Wikipedia.

Self Monitoring and Family
You can monitor yourself. You can ensure you don't get into a vehicle driven by somebody who you think is incapacitated.

You can monitor or warn those you know - your family who want you to drive them home. You can monitor strangers in the street, at parties, at pubs. You can monitor employees and put notices in pubs and places of work. I have seen warning on restaurant menus and by wash basins in pubs and restaurants and on the back of doors of toilet cubicles.

Monitoring Friends and Family
We see signs on medication warning that side effects could be drowsiness and not to operate machinery nor to drive while under the influence of the medication. If you take the medicine every four hours, you might assume that for at least four hours after taking medicine you must be careful.

A first step is to find out how many accidents and injuries involve drink, drugs or medication.

in 2011 Australia saw the start of a campaign: Never let a mate walk home drunk.
In the UK I was alarmed at reports of people who disappeared after drinking in pubs and walking home by canals and across bridges. I don't need to tell you ... But I will. After extensive searches, in some cases q quick result, in others nothing found until long afterwards.

The next question arises, did they fall or were they pushed? Water in the lungs shows they were alive and breathing when they went into the water. The question still arises, did they fall or were they pushed. Either way, drinking made them vulnerable.

Monitoring Customers

So, we all know that
1 It is dangerous to drive home drunk. Pubs have signs about designated drivers.
2 It is dangerous to drink at night and drive next morning. My local newspaper reported a case where a 'drunk', or over the limit driver killed a pedestrian. The driver had drunk the night before.
3 I have seen signs warning that it is dangerous to walk home when drunk, because of the danger of traffic accidents.
4 Now I learn that travel insurance can be invalidated if you are drunk and fall over.

Useful Websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42878841# (Article about drinking and insurance claims)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_drivers
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/05/drunk-pedestrian-fatalities/2621673/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_walking

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Driving in the UK, Europe, Romania - each country's costs and quirky rules

Problem
In the UK and some former British rule of the road countries such as Singapore we drive on the left. Other countries in Europe drive on the right.

France and Accidents
I remember reading that a high proportion of accidents in Europe are near the ferry terminals. People drive off the ferry from the UK to France. They are not yet attuned to which side of the road they should drive on.

Of course, there are now signs.

France and Fines
Another concern of Brits going to France was that drivers had to buy breathalyser kits for their cards in case they were stopped by the police. Later this law was dropped because they could not produce enough breathalysers. Better check with the AA or RAC or the country concerned before you travel  to France or any country what the latest laws are.

If you own or hire a car in the UK and drive across to France through the tunnel or take a ferry, you are in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. When you fly drive, it is easy to know which side of the road to drive.

Driving with the driving wheel on the correct side makes it easier to overtake. The driver is in the middle of the road and can see the road ahead and any traffic in the overtaking lane or, in a two way road, in the approaching lane.

If the driver is on the kerbside, the passenger my be responsible for saying if there is any vehicle coming.

Romania
When we drive in Romania, what are the rules of the road? What does a driver need to carry?

The websites telling you about driving in Romania point out that you need a warning triangle. You might think that if you hire a car that would automatically be provided. It is in your interests to check. As where it is. You might need it in a hurry and you don't want to cover it with a suitcase. Does it fold out?

The high visibility jacket is not something I expected to have to provide and wear on a motorway even in daytime. Very sensible. But In an accident that means I can't jump out and run back to fix up the warning triangle without it. So where do I get one?

I recently narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian who ran across the street wearing dark clothing. It gave me quite a turn. You can buy armbands to go over clothing or be sewn on, specifically for safety. Another option is decorative patches which glow in the dark. Or wearing white at night.

Is there anything I hadn't thought of?

Answer
The RAC (UK's Royal Automobile Club) has a handy website about Romania. It covers what you want to know and things you didn't know you need to know.

I wanted to know about parking and fines. It told me which side of the road to drive on, that if you stop for more than five minutes you must be in the same direction as the traffic. (I believe that's so vehicles approaching from behind can see your reflectors.

You need to carry your driving license, insurance, and ID (passport).

Seatbelts are required in the back as well as the front.
(Incidentally, I am often told by taxi drivers and private car drivers worldwide that the seatbelt is stuck under the back folding seat but 'it doesn't matter'.

It does matter. I insist that they stop and sort out the seat belt. Why?
1 A friend of mine in the middle seat was thrown forward in a road traffic accident and several injured.
2 I read that the front seat passenger can be injured by the force of a body thrown forward from behind.
3 If you are not wearing a seatbelt the insurance can refuse to pay up or reduce damages on the grounds that your injuries were not caused by the driver but by your failure to wear a seatbelt.
4 You or the driver could be fined.

In Romania, according to the website, you also have to keep your lights on even in day time and you are not allowed to hoot your car horn day or night in some places such as a central city.  Whether you are seeking safety or to avoid being fined, better safe than sorry.

In the UK we have the AA, the Automobile Association. In the USA we have the American Automobile Association, AAA.

The first thing the AA website told me about driving in Romania was that drivers should be asare that NO alcohol is allowed. So you can't have just one drink.

The money supermarket site has handy information on the USA. It reminded me that you should not have alcohol in the car, even unopened. Keep it out of reach, in the boot of the car (which in the USA is called the trunk).

DIRTY CARS BANNED!
The most surprising thing is that Romania forbids driving with a dirty car. (That's the sort of rule I would expect in Singapore.)

Russia is another place which bans dirty cars. Why? Your numberplate or registration number must be visible.

Stopping When School Buses Are Stopped
Another important note in the USA is about not overtaking a stopped (and flashing light) school bus, whether you are behind it or approaching from the other direction. You have probably guessed that this measure was introduced for the safety of children who alight and run into the road without looking, or even do look.

Some countries require you to carry a first aid kit. Always a good idea. Others require a sign of a regulation size and colour and design, not just a red balloon, or white fabric handkerchief, on a bicycle or projecting object on the back or top or anywhere on your car.
Anything which promotes safety is good.

It's also a good idea to carry the number of the emergency services and have it handy in your phone.

How much will a high visibility jacket cost? I was amazed to see how widely they are available, from Sports Direct or Alibaba. The price for a sleeved jacket was about £20, and a sleeveless vest was reduced from about £6 to £2.50.

For more details see:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/romania/
http://www.theaa.ie/aa/summer-driving/romania.aspx
http://www.theaa.ie/travelhub/hiring-and-driving-a-car-in-europe/
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/news/driving-abroad-the-rules-and-regulations/0014407/

Tips
http://romaniatourism.com
https://www.duolingo.com/
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to my posts.

Danger and Safety On Level Crossings For Cars, Lorries, Trains and Pedestrians

I hate level crossings. We have a few in London, England. When I lived in the USA we went to stay for a night at a large hotel on the East Coast. I remember sitting at breakfast and reading about the rich family who had founded the Wyeth art collection and the hotel and probably much of the town. Unfortunately one of the prominent members of the family was killed on the railway level crossing. I thought it was a freak accident. Within the next few weeks a similar accident happened nearby.

I then discovered that the railway line ran parallel to the coast the the coastal road with dozens of level crossings. The high speed trains ran up and down the line at great speed. mLots of accidents.

In the UK we have also had accidents. More often pedestrians.

A favourite question is, "What would you do if you ruled the world?" I would make all train and road crossings into traffic lights. The train has to stop completely - at every crossing.

So do the cars. You have to stop a few yards back from the barrier. The double barrier should be on both sides of the road before the actual crossing. A gap both sides should enable you as a driver to move off the crossing if caught.

The train should only move over the crossing if a sensor shows the crossing is empty. Yes, it would cost the train company a lot of money. So does building a railway. So does having the line out of action for a few hours or days until the accident is cleared. What about the cost of replacing the train, re=training another driver, the cost of compensating the family of the driver, the injured passengers, the pedestrians, or car driver. Does the cost of the insurance go up or down with the accidents?

When I lived in Rockville, Maryland, swimming pools in my area had barriers the height of tennis courts, lockable gates, and two lifeguards on duty. It was a local legal requirement and linked into an insurance requirement.

If you could not insure your train and train driver unless you adapted all railway crossings, it would be done. You would either make safer crossings, or build bridges for pedestrians, or sucked roads tunnelling under the road. Yes it would take time and money. Have you seen the length of the bridges over the sea off the East coast of the USA? And the banks with raised roads in The Netherlands? And the long bridges linking islands off Malaysia to the mainland? And the tunnels in the USA and Switzerland? Roman viaducts across valleys? The Channel tunnel? When somebody wants to complete a project, eventually the money is found, the workers are found, the plans are made, and it gets done. You might need legislation, government funding. It can be done and it should be done.

What has inspired my rant? A video. Watch it and you will be as shocked as I was. The barriers come down either side of a truck in America. The truck is smashed. The driver is lucky to be alive. Three train passengers died and the driver lost his legs. If you have any connection with insurance or government or journalism, please campaign to get safety improved.


Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.