There was a storm overnight, and the traffic lights near us are out. I would say ‘on the blink’, but they’re not even blinking. They’re just dead.
It’s a major intersection. Left turning lanes, right turning lanes, through lanes, bike lanes, tram tracks, lights, arrows, pedestrian crossings. It has everything.
The lights have been out for at least an hour. It should be chaos. Cars should be lined up in all directions. As I approach the intersection, I should be listening to the glorious sounds of car horns, tram dings and shouted expletives.
But I’m not. I’m listening to… not much really. Normal traffic flow. Trams floating down the road. Cars approaching cautiously, halting, and then driving through.
Each road is taking turns. There seems to be an unwritten rule for when the next turn is taken; when the way is clear for a car to turn right, this signals the ‘orange light’ for that road. Once the turning car is through, it’s the next road’s turn.
There are no police officers directing traffic. They’re just not needed.
It seems so basic, so common sensical, so obvious, that I feel ridiculous admitting this next point. But I’m kind of proud of everyone for being so sensible.
You hear so much about road rage, trolley rage, carpark rage, school gate rage, and EVERYTHING RAGE these days that it’s easy to assume that everyone else in the world is CRAZY. It’s easy to decide not to interact and be polite with others because we don’t think we’re going to receive that same politeness back.
It’s easy to forget that we humans are pretty decent most of the time.
Decent and sensible.
Well done us.
What makes you happy to be human today? Decency? Sense? Sensibility? Opposable thumbs?
That is amazing! I would have made a bet on such a breakdown causing chaos for sure. There is hope for the human race yet.!
I know! I’ve seen a similar thing happen at a smaller intersection, but to see it where so much was going on was amazing.
It bodes well for real chaos – that we’d all look out for each other in the event of a disaster. Maybe we get our sensible on when it counts. And lost it over the minor annoyances. Better that way than the opposite I guess.
True. It seems to take a bigger event for true perspective to sink in.
Wow, that’s amazing! I was thinking the opposite yesterday – how annoying and selfish people were. I saw the aftermath of an accident and people were being ridiculously selfish and rude! You are so optimistic.
Hmmm, happy to be human today? Serendipitous play dates! Mr 18 months vomited last night and it soaked all the way through to his mattress. I’m loath to buy a new one because he’ll be in a bed soon… Our playdate guests this morning have a spare one we’re borrowing! Had they not come over today the poor little thing would be sleeping on his stink mattress covered with a few towels!!
I’m glad Mr 18months isn’t sleeping in stink!! Cheers from Little Miss Optimistic. x
I love this! I love seeing it happen even more! It’s such a sense of relief that humanity, without rules to boss us around, can actually be infer fully kind and considerate.
Go us!
It can happen in us humans, can’t it? I love random acts of kindness. Something as simple as someone opening the door for me when I have my hands full. Makes me truly, truly grateful.
That’s a good one. Nothing better than someone helping you just because they can.
*New follower here! Loved this post 🙂
It certainly is easy to forget humans are pretty decent most of the time! This post reminded me of a few weeks ago when I was walking with my 3 children and a man stopped a few metres from us, staring. I panicked, but then he pointed out that my 2yr old was about to walk onto the road and offered to help me wrangle the kids to the footpath. I felt terrible for assuming he wasn’t a good person. It’s such a shame we always think guilty before innocent.
Thanks for visiting, Kelly!
That’s a lovely story. Hip hip hooray for the kindness of strangers.
It’s so refreshing when you see things like this! Humans can be awesome sometimes. Thanks for linking up xxx Fi
Thanks for hosting the linky!
Wow that a blessing there were no accidents or anything! Goes to show we humans can be pretty amazing sometimes!
We’re good sorts most of the time.
When I used to live on the other side of the river the traffic to cross the bridge and get through town use to bank up for kms. There was a second road, maybe a few hundred metres from the bridge, where traffic was banked up too. It seemed to just be an unwritten rule that for every car going straight ahead you would let a car in from the right in the other road. It kept traffic flowing nicely from both roads and heaven help the occasional rude person that wouldn’t let a car in, they got honks from cars in all directions!
It’s great to see when something that has the potential to bring out the worst in people does the opposite.