Before you cross the street: look to the left, to the right and to the left again. If you don’t see a car, you’re free to go. A rule I learned at primary school but never put into practice. Now I try to use it, it proves to be absolutely useless. I’d be stuck to the sidewalk for the rest of my life.
Quito has a serious traffic problem. Cars, buses, trucks. Everywhere at any time. Neither paying attention to pedestrians nor traffic lights. I haven’t seen many cyclists around. And that’s for a reason. Except for Sundays (when the city centre isn’t accessible for cars), biking in Quito is like committing suicide.
When you walk around the city, you’ll find hearts craved into the pavement. I thought they were some form of city art. Graffiti, but slightly different. In reality, they stand for people that have died whilst crossing the street. Don’t even try to count them. Impossible.
Who is to blame? The car? The person crossing the street? The municipality? Everybody? I have seen pedestrians doing the most terrifying things. Some of the streets have up to six lanes and two other separate lanes for buses. A blind man on his way to the opposite side of the road. Should he really do this on his own? People privileged with eyes don’t seem to use them. There is zebra crossing thirty meters ahead of you!
On the other hand, if you drive a vehicle, you know you are the one better off. Let’s neglect that for convenience. ¨We have other things to worry about.¨ Take the buses for example. They drive like mad men. When they go faster, they’ll transport more people and earn more money. Cleverly thought.
Here I have another intelligent one. Maybe I should buy a car. Then I won’t have to cross the street. I won’t be as vulnerable. And if I drive really fast, I don’t have to wake up as early for my classes. Brilliant! What was the initial problem again?