Driving in the rain

"I'm driving in the rain, just driving in the rain, what a horrible feeling, it's jam-time again."

These aren't exactly the words used by Gene Kelly in that epic song sung years ago, but they did reflect the traffic chaos which ensued on Tuesday Nov. 29 after 4 p.m. in Jakarta.

So many words have been written about macet (traffic jam) in The Jakarta Post in the past but nothing changes really. These jams on Tuesday, especially in South Jakarta, personally seemed to be "the mother of all jams" -- to coin a familiar phrase. Many unfortunate people surely can't have reached home until extremely late that night, no doubt feeling thoroughly exhausted, mentally and physically.

Why do the first heavy rains cause these problems to drivers? Maybe these two points are partly responsible:

(a) An assortment of young men who control vital junctions blowing whistles willy nilly.

(b) The lack of discipline and patience of some drivers.

If this is only the beginning of the rainy season, I shudder to think of what will happen when the rains come in earnest.

Personally, I think I will don a stout pair of boots and with my golf umbrella walk and keep fit. It's far quicker under the circumstances and certainly a lot healthier. There wouldn't be any meter to watch idly ticking over either, as I would not be trapped in a motionless taxi!

JOHN R. KERR

Jakarta