Splashing the cash

26th February 2010

Following the severe winter the spring thaw has revealed road surfaces that make Swiss cheeses look solid Share:

On several occasions I have berated the Polish motorist for the high death-rates on the roads here, speaking from my endangered position as a pedestrian. But this week I learned that there is a small window during which we foot-sloggers can take our revenge. It appears that drivers can be fined up to PLN 3000 for splashing a pedestrian.

Given the current state of the roads, this is a guaranteed occurrence. Following the severe winter the spring thaw has revealed road surfaces that make Swiss cheeses look solid, and the accumulated snow is melting to turn roads into rivers. If a pedestrian can call police to the scene immediately, a driver might reveive a spot fine of anything from PLN 20-500, but if the police aren’t around and the case has to go to court, the fine rises.

Drivers, then, have two reasons to slow down and avoid the puddles. First, they can avoid splashing us poor pedestrians, second, they can protect their beloved hunk of metal. There’s no way of telling from behind the wheel how big or deep a hole is, until you hear the dreaded clunk and your back end disappears into an abyss. This time of year is heaven for car mechanics, who earn a fortune repairing all those broken axles. It’s less happy for local councils who have to fill all the gaping holes in the tarmac at a cost of PLN 300-1000 each.

Looking at all this, the most sensible thing seems to be to put the car away and leap onto a tram. They don’t suffer from holey roads and don’t drown passers-by. Meanwhile, I’m going out to try and get splashed – it’s payback time!

---

Readers Comments

---

Comments are now closed for this article