Civilized countries show way

The editorial titled “Bad trip” (9/14/14), about our public transport system, concluded with this statement: “In civilized countries, officials do not think it beneath them to take public transport with the rest of the population. But then again, those countries have effective transport systems that are well maintained, run on a strict schedule, and thus move masses of people efficiently. For them, ‘public service’ is not just a laughable phrase. For us, our transport problems are a bad trip and a horrible reality with seemingly no end in sight.”

I was struck by the use of the phrase “civilized countries.” It then occurred to me that the sure way to solve the transport and traffic problems of our metropolises is for all our citizens to act in a civilized manner. To be civilized means to achieve a state of cultural, social and moral development that is considered excellent. For a society to be civilized, each citizen must be civilized. Moreover, all citizens must cooperate so as to attain a civilized state. This simply means that each normal citizen must practice a modicum of virtue and as a whole the society they compose must also be a bearer of high cultural, social and moral stature.

To solve our transport problems, the civil authorities must act in a civilized manner by doing their job at applying the adequate solutions scientifically and with political will. The citizens must also act in a civilized way by following the pertinent rules of order and courtesy.

Our public transport system, sad to say, is a rather clear reflection of our society’s state of civilization, or lack of it. I do not want to sound negative about our people and nation. We can see that there has been some improvement in several aspects of our transport system. It just shows that if we make up our minds to do things better, we can.

To be civilized involves civility or courtesy. If we want to attract foreigners to our country, we must practice more courtesy on the road.

Driving in a European country many years ago, I was trailing a long truck on a two-lane road. I wanted to overtake it. By law the truck could not exceed 80 kilometers per hour. This speed limit was indicated by a circular plate at the truck’s rear. Indeed it was running at that speed, even if there was no traffic in front of it. I was told of a practice on this country’s roads, which I tried and used a number of times: If you want to pass a truck, you must show yourself by moving your car a bit to the left so that the driver can see you in his side mirror, and flash your headlights, then return to your lane. If the driver sees there is no oncoming vehicle, he will flash his left-turn signal, indicating you can pass. You may then do so easily and safely. As a sign of thanks, you must honk your hour twice. And the truck driver will honk in return: You’re welcome. That’s courtesy.

On a freeway in another country, we had to slow down because of a long queue of cars. There were three lanes on that side of the road and yet the queue occupied only two. I asked the driver why the cars did not occupy the third, outermost lane. I was told that lane was reserved for emergency cars. Indeed after a few minutes an ambulance sped by using that lane. Then when we reached the source of the queue we saw two cars had collided, blocking two lanes and allowing only one lane to pass. And yet, the queue of cars did not take long to pass because of a standard practice among motorists there: When only one lane is passable, the cars on two lanes that want to pass take turns.

There was no such thing as what we call “gitgitan” in traffic. Nor were the motorists slowing down to take a good look at the accident, so as not to delay the others. Again, that’s courtesy.

There are many rules like these that we can learn from civilized countries.

—FR. CECILIO L. MAGSINO, [email protected]