There are more and more young, intoxicated drivers on our roads, lacking imagination and often driving old wrecks (including those from the West) that have been welded, straightened, beaten out and painted. They also drive too fast. I wonder whether it is really so difficult to check the sobriety of these immature drivers leaving discos?
All that is needed there is a police patrol, after all these places are known to everyone, as is the time of these supposedly “alcohol-free” events. The shared responsibility of people who notice a driver drinking alcohol is an entirely different matter. It is not only the driver’s concern—as many people think. A drunk driver is a potential suicide, but also a murderer “with limited awareness of his act,” as a lawyer would describe this condition. Let us remember this and not allow anyone to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. It is our Christian and human duty.
The technical condition of vehicles travelling on our roads does not reflect well on our regulations or the work of vehicle inspection stations. Insurance companies keep records of all cars that have been damaged in the past, and with computers it should presumably be possible to remove from circulation wrecks that endanger the lives of other road users. Car mechanics know best how much scrap is travelling on Polish roads.
The condition of our local roads is a separate subject.
It took a long time to fill the potholes in the road at the junction of Aleja Tysiąclecia and the bypass, as well as near the exit from the city towards Kruszyn, at the level of PZZ. As the city president explained, the problem was who should do it: the local or provincial authorities? And I ask: who is to bear the costs of repairs connected with repairing a car? Someone collects the road tax, and in my opinion that very person should cover the repair costs. It is a fact that Bolesławiec’s roads are being worn out by the large TIR trucks travelling to and from the border, so perhaps the speed limit on this section (Aleja Tysiąclecia) should be reduced, so that we do not have to hear the screeching of brakes every morning and evening, and above all at night, before the intersection with the city bypass. It is no secret that the greatest volume of car and pedestrian traffic on the road occurs at specific times, namely between 7 and 8, between 14:00 and 16:00, and between 18:30 and 19:00. Ironically, the traffic lights are very often out of service during these hours. The same applies on major holidays, for example recently on All Saints’ Day.
The so-called culture on the road, including signalling information to other drivers, is still far from satisfactory. Two common sins are switching on turn signals too late and bad parking that makes it difficult for others to leave. Here I wonder whether, when there is so much free space in the free car park in front of the office, it makes sense to park diagonally on the road by Asnyka Street, systematically blocking the pavement for pedestrians.
Has the time not also come to prohibit lorries and TIR trucks from parking on the narrow streets of our city? Here is a situation I observed on Mikołaja Brody Street (formerly Nowotki): a car with a trailer parked on one side and an identical one on the other side—with numerous passenger cars also parked there—effectively blocked a city bus from passing.
And finally, three more comments
0n very poor traffic arrangements. The first is the disastrous exit from the green market by Jeleniogórska Street – Komuny Paryskiej. The second is a rubbish bin blocking visibility at the corner of Staroszkolna and Gałczyńskiego Streets, particularly for the many drivers travelling to allotments and wholesalers.
1 the third: drivers stopping and parking while shopping at the “Ruch” kiosk, just beyond the intersection by Aleja Tysiąclecia.
I hope that our readers—as well as those interested “from the authorities”—also have their own comments on this subject and will share them in the pages of our newspaper.