Jan-Hendrik Groenewald

《ABSTRACT》

The writer talks about his daily commute and Taiwan’s traffic shortly .?Many Vehicles on the road, but traffic is still moving smoothly. To his surprise, he witnesses a car accident on the way to his work. When he wants to gives a furious talking to some rude riders, the traffic is moving again. He’s really thankful to rarely experience the traffic jams in Taiwan because the expressways and highways in cities are so convenient and he can use public transport to bypass the main city traffic. At the end, the writer recommends us to stay calm and take a deep breath when we are stuck in the traffic jam. We can still keep patient and safe to our destination without spoiling our day by terrible traffic. “

　　It’s 8 AM on a Monday morning. There is a variety of cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles on my morning commute. I’m driving along a broad avenue with two lanes on both sides. Even though there are many vehicles on the road, traffic is moving smoothly. I even consider stopping for a coffee and a sandwich at 7/11. Then, suddenly, our two lanes slow down to the point where it feels as if we are barely moving. Something has happened upfront that has caused a traffic jam. Where just a few minutes ago I was sure that I had enough time to grab breakfast and get to work on time, now I had the feeling that I might end up late for work. Ten minutes later, my car creeps past the culprit who caused the traffic jam. The road I drive on my daily commute has very little street parking. Instead of looking for alternative parking, an impatient driver has parked directly in the road and walked into a nearby shop. I want to jump out of my own car and give them a furious talking to for causing such a delay, but the traffic is moving again, and I soon forget about my irritation as I continue driving to work.

　　Traffic is the number of vehicles that use a country’s roads every day. At some times of the day when everyone is heading to work or home, traffic can be quite heavy which makes driving on the roads very slow. At other times, like late at night, there are much less cars on the road and traffic moves quickly. On a densely populated island like Taiwan where the largest part of the population and most businesses are concentrated on one side of the country, it is no surprise that we experience traffic daily.

　　Thankfully we rarely experience traffic jams in Taiwan. A traffic jam occurs when traffic stops moving completely due to an accident or some other cause. The lack of traffic jams is thanks to the expressways and highways in cities that allow people to bypass the main city traffic. Another reason for less traffic in Taiwan is the availability of public transport. Thanks to easy access to trains, buses and even city bicycles, people can use alternative transportation during busy traffic hours. This in turn also causes there to be less traffic on the roads since there are less people in cars or on motorcycles.

　　Sometimes we are in a rush, sometimes we are tired and don’t want to drive for longer than we need to, and sometimes we just want to get to where we need to go instead of being stuck on the road. Whatever the case, nobody really enjoys being stuck in traffic. Thankfully due to alternative routes and public transportation, traffic in Taiwan is much lighter than one would expect from such a crowded country. But, if you do get stuck in traffic, remember to stay calm and take a deep breath. Everyone on the road is trying to get to their destination and will get there if they stay patient and keep driving safely. So be safe out there, and remember, a traffic jam is just a temporary delay. Don’t let it spoil your day.