A good public transport story
Most mornings I head out for an early walk, armed with my white mobility cane, my dark glasses and my security siren hanging on a lanyard (blindish woman walking alone). I also have a bright yellow ‘stay alive 365’ bag tag that the Department of Mobility volunteers advised me to wear so that vehicles will see me on dark misty mornings.
Apparently more than 50% of South African road accidents involve pedestrians. Unless there is a cure for my eye disease, my feet on the street are likely to be my primary mode of transport.
I prefer walking when there is more traffic because it is easier to cross at the pedestrian crossing when vehicles are shuffling through the traffic circle one at a time. In the middle of the morning the cars come so fast, I am not sure they will take the pedestrian crossing seriously.
I see vehicles like blobs of colour and can usually make out the shape to identify it as a taxi or bus or hatchback. This morning there were 2 taxis in a row, nose to butt, looking like one long white vehicle. The first taxi stopped across the pedestrian crossing preventing me from walking. Surprisingly, the second driver stayed put when the other taxi moved ahead. The driver gave me a friendly beep-beep hoot to indicate that It was safe to cross.
I waved my thanks and walked to the middle island. The driver leaned out the window and said, “Wait, it is not safe yet”. After a few vehicles zoomed by he said, “Ok, you can go”. The whole interchange happened so fast, yet it was such a surprise. That one taxi driver made my day!
There are good people everywhere, being kind to one person at a time. One taxi driver helping one blind lady on one day has given me hope for our nation. Let’s build up our country by serving one stranger with one kindness at a time. Thank you anonymous driver of the Durbanville route for giving me hope today.
