Why I Want to Move to the Country

#4

Sirens. Sirens. Sirens. In the countryside the sound of sirens is a more un- than usual occurrence. Unlike here in London. Every two minutes there is a siren, in most cases helpfully timed with when I am walking along speaking on the phone, trying to get to sleep or already asleep, so waking me up at 4 IN THE MORNING.

Now, I know that the emergency vehicles need to get around in a hurry...but, even in London, how much traffic is there really at 4 am?? Not much. Not enough to merit such a large number of sirens blasting forth in the early hours.

It must be very hard driving an emergency vehicle in London - most drivers appear to be in their own little world, or are listening to music so deafeningly loud that if the siren speaker was in their passenger seat, they'd still be oblivious to it.


Pedestrians on the other hand have no such excuse. Well, they have the 'being in their own little world' excuse, but to be honest, London sirens are pretty damn loud and unless you have difficulty hearing, there is no reason why you would miss them. But, oddly enough people aren't always aware of them. Or, think that they are what...? Too important to take notice? Not a car, so therefore don't have to get out the way?

Twice in the last week an ambulance has been approaching a pedestrian crossing with it's sirens and lights on, and as they got closer to the crossing the lights changed, so our dear pedestrian friends had the Green Man.

Instead of waiting, the pedestrians started to amble out in to the road, forcing the ambulance to brake (and beep it's horn) so it didn't mow them down (in my humble opinion, this is nothing less than the pedestrians would have fully deserved).

Just because the Green Man is illuminated, it does not give you, the pedestrian, the right to make emergency vehicles stop and wait for you.  It really makes me angry - these are potentially peoples' lives they're playing with.

The unexpected thing is that generally speaking, if as a pedestrian you wait for a police car, ambulance or fire engine to pass by and the lights change back green - meaning the cars can go - drivers more often than not still wait for the pedestrians to cross.

I am hoping that when I move (soon now, phew!), that in the country there will be fewer idiots around than here in Islington. Surely there will be, won't there? Please say yes.