Traffic circles or roundabouts have been hitting the news in a big way recently. Only weeks ago, CTV news showed pictures of cars getting into difficulty trying to navigate a new one in Kitchener. Some cars stopped in confusion rather than enter the roundabout. Other cars drove onto the centre island and got themselves high-centred. A lot more avoided the area altogether, taking the long way around.
But let’s be fair; the fault doesn’t belong to any of the cars. A car with the right driver can go just about anywhere. I’ve seen family sedans pulling wagons across dirt fields in Alberta, driving up dry stream beds in Africa, and splashing through knee-deep water in surprise floods.
Put the blame where it belongs: on the drivers. Multi-generational Canadians have serious problems with anything new, having lost their ability to adapt in the ways their ancestors did when they first arrived in Canada. In fact, roundabouts are not new. I recall one in Stoney Creek decades ago, but now long gone. I discovered one in Mississauga where Southdown Road meets the Queen Elizabeth Highway. Many people rush into that circle and exit at the appropriate place without even realizing they have gone through a roundabout. Its large size fools them. Just remember, if you miss your exit in a roundabout, don’t panic, keep going. You will soon get back to it, again and again. I learned that very quickly when driving in Great Britain.
So let’s get with it. Traffic circles save money by not using traffic lights, shorten travel time, and save on fuel costs because cars stop less often.
Speaking of roundabouts, our federal politicians appear caught on one. In recent weeks they have been going in circles and seem unable to find the exit. Or should I say, they keep exiting at the wrong point, then jumping back on to look for the correct one. If they don’t know which way to go, no wonder most Canadians appear confused.
Each week for the last few weeks I have considered writing a column about the Ottawa turmoil, but before I can do it, the circumstances have changed.
Why all the confusion among Canadians at the thought of a coalition government? Simply because, like traffic circles, we haven’t seen one recently. People shouldn’t call them “unCanadian” because they have occurred before. Neither should anyone describe them as undemocratic, because they involve deliberations among people we elected democratically. I believe that every government based on the parliamentary system has experienced a coalition or a union government at one time or another. In fact, some countries experience nothing but coalition governments.
Unlike the American system, those with British-style parliaments have the ability to change a government mid-term. Millions of Americans wanted to dump George Bush, but their presidential system makes that almost impossible. Just remember that we as voters chose to elect a minority government. So instead of whining about our leaders, let’s accept some blame ourselves.
While our political masters have got themselves on a roundabout and can’t find the exit, the big-three car manufacturers have done the same thing. Circumstances change so quickly that by the time you read this, anything might have happened. But I’ll use my overactive imagination to predict the future. GM, Ford, and Chrysler will declare bankruptcy. Toyota will buy one of them, Tata from India will grab another, and a consortium from China will get the third.
It’s human nature; whether drivers, politicians, voters, or big corporations, we all seem destined to spend time on the roundabouts of life.