Dear Mombasa Road Pedestrians,
I was once one of you. Till I decided to only cross Mombasa Road where there is a fly over at South C. Or use a longer route that doesn’t involve crossing that road – including getting a cab from one side of the road to the other. I know that I can’t always afford to do this…….
Back to you. It is very tempting to cross that road when there is pressure from others, when you really need to go where you are going, when the cars don’t look as fast, etc. I have some pointers for you:
1. If you cross the road and something of yours falls down, just let it go. I nearly died there because the headscarf that was protecting my Blue Ivy hair from the glare of the world flew off. If it wasn’t for Hipilicious, I would have been past tense at age 10.
2. If you leave the house knowing that you are going to cross that road, leave the house/workplace/wherever 25 minutes before you really have to. In that way, you can spend up to half an hour waiting for the perfect opportunity to get to the other side of the road. 12.5 minutes per side of the road isn’t too much time. Compare that to being away from earth forever.
3. Don’t talk to people while waiting to cross the road. Concentrate on what you are about to do. Ignore anyone who tries talking to you. Even if it is your husband. He will appreciate it that you both got to the other side of the road.
4. When walking along Mombasa Road, walk against the traffic. There is a reason why this rule is in all traffic books. It is easier to move away from a wayward vehicle if you can see it coming towards you.
5. Don’t cross the road while carrying heavy items like planks of wood, sackfulls of fish or bicycle. These will slow you down and you know very well that the drivers on this road have heavy accelerator legs.
If all this fails and you still get to say hello to a fast moving vehicle, I hope that
* the people around you will quickly run to the road and surround you so that you are protected from further injury;
* they will not frisk your pockets to check for any valuables; and
* they will quickly call 0700 395 395 (Red Cross HQ that is just 2 minutes from Mombasa Road)
Wishing you a safe day,
Njenva.
Njenva's Ramblings 