I had to go through Donaghadee yesterday afternoon heading to Bangor to collect a chair. On the way out of the town there were road works… the scourge of the countryside. Everywhere you go now there seems to be some kind of digging activity going on leaving only one side of the highway available for road users. This one had lights which work for the most part in keeping the flow of traffic moving in fair turn. However, while traffic may have been moving well all day, this was rush hour in Donaghadee. After passing the go light, a slow moving vehicle in front of me turning right held back myself and several other cars behind me. That wasn’t any problem. People turn right all the time and you have to stop to give them time to get out of the way.
Moving on and almost at the other end of the road works, the lights for the oncoming traffic had obviously changed and the arrogant little man in the first car led a three vehicle charge into the breach. There was no excuse. Big red van no more than six car lengths away is not invisible. So there he was on my side of the road blocking the way, throwing his arms around and mouthing what were no doubt profanities in my direction. His poor wife sat mortified with a face like thunder looking out the passenger window. I beeped at him and pointed that he could easily move over through the cones onto his own side of the road. More arm waving and mime and hand signals that I should reverse out of his way. Where did he think I could go? There were at least three cars immediately behind me and no room to get past him even if I mounted the footpath. So I complied with his wishes for me to shift and moved forward rather than backwards while pointing that he could move to the other side of the road. At this stage, a workman came walking towards the potential stabbing and as if by magic, Mister ‘I own the road’ moved back onto his own side followed by the two cars who were jammed in behind him. He’d already disrupted the traffic for at least five minutes. Why on earth he couldn’t just move over in the first place was a mystery to me. It wasn’t a difficult manoeuvere by any means.
So who had the right of way? Who should have moved? Who was to blame? Are road works with lights exempt from all the rules?
I would gladly have nudged over had there been anywhere to go regardless of who was right. Everyone makes mistakes but discourteous drivers with a bad attitude REALLY get up my nose.
