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Poo Poo Make Prant Glow


Bill Barnes
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I was cleaning out some books and found the small book (Poo Poo Make Prant Glow) that my wife got in Taichung. In the book, folded, was a list of traffic hazards it Taiwan. We were given this list when we got there in 1971 and it is a true list of the traffic we fought going to the base or to the Navy commissary.

EXSISTING TRAFFIC HAZARDS UPON THE ROADS OF TAIWAN

1. Pedestrians failing to utilize marked crosswalks and pedestrian underpasses.

2. Improper child supervision resulting in children running across streets and highways.

3. Motorcycles failing to use proper lanes while traveling on streets and highways.

4. Vehicles failing to yield to right-of-way traffic at intersections.

5. Vehicles failing to yield to traffic already in a traffic circle.

6. Vehicles changing lanes without proper signaling and failing to maintain proper clearance.

7. Class “B†traffic lane operators failing to yield to class “A†traffic making right or left turns.

8. Bicycles, pedicarts and motorcycles operating at night with dark clothing and not utilizing running lights or reflectors.

9. Pedestrians at night wearing dark clothing, no flashlights and during inclement weather, running across dark streets with an umbrella shielding the rain and blocking the view.

10. Poor road surfaces containing many ruts and during precipitation streetlights causing a very bad glare making visibility reduced.

11. Vehicles during the hours of darkness stop at red traffic signal and turn off all running lights.

12. Vehicles always starting from a red traffic signal when the corresponding light turns yellow.

13. Attitude of vehicle operators in very poor and road etiquette is hardly ever practiced.

14. Defensive driving is not practiced nor taught extensively on Taiwan.

15. Taxi operators are inexperienced and disobey almost all city ordinances and regulations.

16. Poor law enforcement effort increases law violators and causes poor traffic conditions.

17. Lanes, alleys and small side streets have no posted stop signs thus operators never stop and they enter the main flow of traffic without warning or yielding to traffic.

18. Pedestrians walking across thoroughfares against a red traffic signal.

19. Highway workers and street department employees while working on roads and repairs never utilize warning signs or devices during day or night.

20. Speed is the main cause of accidents on Taiwan, mainly due to poor safety conditions of vehicles.

21. The mechanics of vehicles are not known by most vehicle operators on the roadways.

22. While traveling on a roadway, pedestrians, bicycles, pedicarts, ox-carts, motorcycles and stray animals present a traffic condition that is not experienced in the United States while operating a motor vehicle.

23. Patience and observation are the two most important factors while operating a motor vehicle on the roads of Taiwan.

24. During rice harvest, piles of rice are placed alongside the roadway making traffic conditions very poor.

25. Buses, while leaving a bus stop, will never yield to through traffic and enter the main flow disregarding all traffic safety.

26. At bus stops containing many busses, traffic confusion should be expected due to buses overtaking other busses leaving the bus stop.

27. While stopped at railroad crossings, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians gather around vehicles (including the oncoming lane) making mass confusion when a train has passed.

28. Vehicles making sudden turns or legally making “U†turns without giving advance or proper warning.

29. Vehicles operating on a roadway at night without benefit of lighting.

30. In rural areas traffic laws are completely disregarded and rural populace is ignorant of the mechanics of vehicles on the roadway.

31. Vehicles in a large city tailgate extensively.

32. Vehicles in an attempt to overtake will fail to obtain proper clearance forcing traffic to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

33. Street vendors in alleys and streets, while selling produce, create many traffic problems.

34. Pedestrians fail to utilize sidewalks and walk along the roadway.

35. Many lanes and alleys are narrow and large American vehicles have a hard time operating on them with the vendors, bicycles, etc.

36. Large trucks are overloaded and unsafe as well as violate most of the traffic regulations.

37. Most accidents on traffic thoroughfares are never properly secured as to give warning to approaching motorists.

38. At intersections, when vehicles are turning left, vehicles will never follow on another. Possibly four or more will attempt to turn at the same time and enter one lane.

39. Bicycles are used quite extensively for commercial purposes and the operators of the bicycles carry an overload making balance difficult and operation of the bicycle very poor.

40. Most vehicle operators will fail to yield right-of-way to pedestrians causing a traffic hazard by having pedestrians standing in the middle of traffic ways.

41. On main highways, small, unmarked intersections will appear which bicycles and motorcycles utilize to cross main thoroughfares, failing to yield to through traffic.

NOTE: Class “A†traffic lanes are defined as those lanes near the centermost part of a thoroughfare and utilized by fast moving traffic.

Class “B†traffic lanes are defined as those lanes near the outer part of a thoroughfare; adjacent to the sidewalk and utilized by two wheeled vehicles and non-motorized vehicles.

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We had a typical house in Taichung, high concrete walls with metal gates front and back. The landlord planted a bunch of trees and plants in the back yard, knowing that almost every snake it Taiwan is lethal, my wife hired a yard boy to take care of the the plants. The yard boy would use night soil on the plants at least once a month, with the heat and humidity the smell would make your eyes water. Our yard boy was female and a really hard worker, she washed both of cars every week plus cut the grass and cleaned and buffed the floors and walls.

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Sounds just like Ryadh when I was there with ELF 1. Only thing that was left out was any accident you're in is your fault because you're the American and if you weren't there the accident wouldn't have happened!

Man those are some memory's, it was always a blast driving from the Al Yamamma to the base, you could drive like you always wanted too!

Traffic signs and lights are more of a suggestion and traffic circles - well lets not go there:D

Dan

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Man those are some memory's, it was always a blast driving from the Al Yamamma to the base, you could drive like you always wanted too!

Traffic signs and lights are more of a suggestion and traffic circles - well lets not go there:D

Dan

Saudi Microsecond: Time elapsed from green light to first horn honk.

(Still got your Casio "AWACS" watch?)

Edited by TSgtRet
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Man those are some memory's, it was always a blast driving from the Al Yamamma to the base, you could drive like you always wanted too!

Traffic signs and lights are more of a suggestion and traffic circles - well lets not go there:D

Dan

The pedal in the middle (or the left one if it is an automatic) that is for decoration.

Saudi Microsecond: Time elapsed from green light to first horn honk.

(Still got your Casio "AWACS" watch?)

This is true. It is that point as the light has completed turning green is when you honk. The first time I was ever in Chicago, my husband was driving. After the first few blocks, he pulled over and I told him - "you gotta drive like a Saudi, if we are gonna make it out of here." I got a puzzled look. He then got out, and walked around to my side and said "Fine. You drive."

Edited by Fräulein
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All I can say is, go drive in Naples (the Saigon of Europe) for a few days.

Been there, done that and would have the T-Shirt if they would have sold them:D Humpty Dumpty anyone?

(Still got your Casio "AWACS" watch?)

Na, have no clue what happened to my blood money watch, disappeared sometime in the last two and a half decades

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Some of this brings back memories of my first trip to Thailand. My dad was stationed in Bangkok from 65-67. We lived in a big house downtown and had a gardner and maid. I rememeber walking to the jewelry stores, to the markets, etc.

It seemed kind of tropical to me, with all the palms and fruit we had all the time. We used to pick mangos off the trees. Plenty of trips to Pataya too.

I was only 11 when we left, so I didn't get to check out any of the other fruit until I went to Khorat in 74.

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Sounds just like Ryadh when I was there with ELF 1. Only thing that was left out was any accident you're in is your fault because you're the American and if you weren't there the accident wouldn't have happened!

Not much has changed. I have heard the IOC (Olympics) is considering upgrading

driving in KSA to a full-contact sport :-)

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  • 1 year later...

Ah yes, the traffic rules! We were stationed in Taipei 76-78. The missing rule is that passengers are sometimes responsible for the signaling, so watch the passenger window as well as the driver for signaling.

When we first arrived, and before our black cadillac (intended to sell when we left) arrived, I swore I would never, ever attempt to drive. Well, things changed because my husband worked shifts, so it was either drive, ride the buses or take a taxi to get to the compound. After doing the later two, both of which are life altering events, I decided I would drive. I found that the basic rule of the road was that the biggest vehicle wins, so I did pretty well against motorcycles, bicycles, pedicabs, taxis, most other cars, and even small trucks. Buses were another story.

I worked at the Taipei American School, and one day was turning at the light to go into the parking lot, when a bus jumped the light as mine turned yellow. He slammed into the driver's side of my car and spun it around 360 degrees, but I was not hurt. I was however, very angry, and very pregnant. So here I was, the giant (5'6"), pregnant gaijin. I sat for a few minutes and composed myself, then I jumped out of the car with the requisite Taipei weapon in hand...my umbrella, and marched over to the bus. The older driver refused to open the door even though I was beating on it with my umbrella. All of the passengers moved to the other side of bus. Fortunately, about that time, the foreign affairs police arrived and calmed me down.

My husband was not happy that the car was damaged, but happy that I was okay. Turned out that the older driver had been driving for a couple of years, even though he was ten years older than I. The car got fixed after two months, since parts had to be ordered from the states. Result was that we sold the car for a couple thou less than we could have. Final result was a beautiful baby girl, who grew up, and has just recently given us two beautiful grandchildren. She likes to tell everyone that she was "made in Taiwan."

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I had a yellow 1971 Colt and gave a friend in another sqdn (last name James) the money to buy a 1972 Datsun 240Z, I had two cars parked on the street and was the only enlisted GI. The wives of all the pilots and navs were sure curious as to how I had two cars and their husbands only had one. I sold the Colt for a shopping bag full of 100 NT notes and got the 240 in my name in time to ship it to Dover AFB. The guy who bought the Colt asked me if I was going to count the money, I thought that was funny, I took the bag to the base bank and two girls counted it real fast, every penny was there.

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