If only we could idiot proof the idiots!

Did you know that one of the fastest growing employment industries in Australia is "Traffic Management"? How many times have you been held up by one of those guys (and increasingly, girls) holding one of those SLOW/STOP signs in quiet suburban streets? It seems that whenever there is any kind of "maintenance" going on, we suddenly need people to tell us to be careful! IS THIS A SCAM? A property developer associate (not friend, coz I hate those people!) of mine told me once that "traffic management" is a pre requisite of any construction job these days.. even in Cul de sacs! I used to live in Windsor in Melbourne, an area with many narrow streets capable of only one car passing in any direction. Was there ever a problem when two vehicles approached each other? NO.. We didn't need people telling us how to use common sense! If anyone has used the roundabout at the top of Elizabeth st/ Flemington Rd in the last 6 mths you would have noticed how they have idiot proofed that intersection in the interests of "safety". My problem is that not only we now have cars that practically drive themselves (automatics, rear reversing cameras etc), we don't even have to think about other drivers anymore! It's all so dumbed down and idiot proofed that we've become complacent and in my view more dangerous on the roads than ever before. Having spent a lot of time (and driven) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, I've seen first hand how the Asian countries approach to traffic management is far more efficient and I think safer than our system. To the unitiated, there seems to be no rules on the road and a general sense of chaos! This is true to a degree but the system works perfectly because people PAY ATTENTION!! A good friend of mine from Sydney believes traffic is far worse in Melbourne even though there are per capita less cars on the road. We have traffic signals on the most insignificant intersections which not only slows down the traffic flow but frustrates drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. I've recently been in touch with Charles Low, a Senior Traffic Engineer with VicRoads with my grievances and I've assured him that I'll keep hassling about my concerns until we get some changes! Complacency is dangerous.. If you treat people like idiots, they'll become idiots!! That's enough for today! Thanks for reading and by the way, if you have any issues about any traffic nightmares around town, I'm sure Charles would be more than keen to hear from you! He can be contacted on: Charles.Low@roads.vic.gov.au