I believe that traffic lights are good enough for the work they do – controlling traffic. There has never been a point in my life where I felt that the job of traffic lights could be better handled by policemen. However, every time I’m caught in traffic on a road when there’s usually no traffic – there’s always a traffic cop controlling the traffic flow. Every time it happens, I make sure to ask myself why? Or grumble to whoever is in the passenger seat that traffic cops make things worse.
Why don’t they just leave the job to traffic lights, which, if configured properly, are supposed to do the job properly? And if the lights aren’t configured properly, why not fix them? Instead of putting some poor dude in the middle of speeding cars and motorbikes? Under the hot sun. In their long sleeves, helmets and gloves? It’s stupid. No wonder they don’t make the best decisions.
Maybe traffic cops are only there because they’re being punished. And if they’re being punished, of course they’re not going to do a good job. They’ll want to fuck with everyone else on the road, since they have nothing to lose anyway. And they can gain some pleasure out of all the motorists’ frustrations. A least I know that’s what I’d do if I was being punished.
If they’re not being punished, then why do they do such a bad job of controlling traffic? Maybe it’s just me generalizing my experiences with traffic cops and I’m being unfair to the good ones who are actually making things better.
What about cops or ambulance drivers who use their sirens to skip traffic jams? Are they considered assholes too? Because every time there’s a shitty jam, there’s bound to be these guys around. And if they’re skipping traffic, why do I always read about them showing up late at emergencies? I can’t recall the last time I heard a siren when traffic was good. Everyone should just ride bicycles instead. Then we’d have no jams, we’d save the environment, and everybody would be fitter.