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Sept. 22, 2004 If there is one ministry I have super sympathy for in this country it is the Kuwait Ministry of Transportation (KMOT). The KMOT is responsible for highway maintenance, traffic control and accident investigation. By observation alone, KMOT isn’t doing very well in highway maintenance or traffic control. Some of the pot holes over here could swallow a bus; a big bus. And traffic between the hours of 7 P.M. and Midnight on any Kuwait City street is parking- lot-city. I do believe both of those KMOT duties suffer from a preponderance of emphasis on the third; accident investigation. When a Kuwaiti has a traffic accident, it is usually a “Lulu”. Since everyone drives between 15-35 KPH over any posted speed limit, (even bus drivers) and since no one knows what a turn signal or a break pedal is used for, you can easily find the truest definition of “SPLAT” on a Kuwaiti highway. There are no signs on Kuwaiti roads asking or demanding people not litter. I think they probably believe that would be a waste of money. Besides, it is estimated that in Kuwait City alone there are more than 120 auto accidents daily. That is a lot of broken bumpers, split wheel hubs and shattered glass on the roadways. KMOT does not clear the wrecked cars either. That is the responsibility of the owner. I have been passing by some of the wrecks gracing the roads around here for weeks now; wondering when they might eventually be towed away. Of course, some of the wrecks are so destroyed they cannot be towed. A crane is needed to lift and remove more than one mangled car corpse; or at least turn the vehicle back on its wheels so it can be towed. KMOT is responsible for all the destroyed guardrail and lamp posts that have been torn down by errant Kuwaiti drivers. I feel badly for those who have the job of replacing all that railing. A 20 kilometer drive in any direction will show anyone paying attention that within any given kilometer there are at least 50-60 feet of collapsed guardrail needing replacement, and a downed lamp post or two. Much of this wanton destruction can be attributed to flying automobiles, but almost as much of the wreckage can be attributed to deliberate dismantling by local camel herders. Each major roadway is protected, or enclosed by a fence. The fence is there to keep the wandering goat, camel or burro from going onto the main thoroughfare and becoming the next road kill victim, or vulture smorgasbord. The intent of the fence is honorable, but one thing about camel herds is; once on the move, all you can do is follow; and if a fence gets in the way it gets trampled. There is really no respect from those who know the best short cuts to their houses either. There are many fence breaks showing multiple incursions of SUV’s and pickup trucks. The people who supply chain link fencing to KMOT are very rich people indeed. KMOT employs a lot of people. Every morning in my drive to work I will pass fifty or sixty workers, busy repairing fences or just picking up litter. They work these jobs 24/5 (Thursday and Friday is the weekend)and on some of the outer roads it seems like a lost cause. Better to take down all the fences and let the wind do what wind does, which is mostly blow southward toward Saudi Arabia. The city streets are clean enough though. They work very hard to keep control of all the city streets. You can hear the street-sweepers all evening throughout every alley. The city parks and playgrounds are well kept too. So my hat is off to the workers of the Kuwait Ministry of Transportation. They undertake a yeoman’s job, caring for and maintaining the battlefields that are the Kuwaiti highway system. For the most part, they seem quite successful. ------------ About the Author: Michael John McCrae is an Independent, Conservative, Christian who has been personally insulted as a voter because John Kerry thinks the "Heart and Soul of America" lays in the "X-rated sexual innuendo" of Whoopi Goldberg. Well, Michael McCrae thinks America is better than that. Michael McCrae believes there is at least some morality left. So Michael McCrae is going to leave this here (until after the election) as a reminder to all of what John Kerry and John Edwards believe the Real America to be. They believe America's "heart and soul" resides in the "X-rated sexual innuendo" of Whoopi Goldberg. You can draw your own conclusions. Email: macswordV@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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