You might have already seen photos online of a modern Public Utility Jeepney stuck under a pedestrian overpass in Raintree Mall in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Cebu City, after its driver decided to divert from the usual route and take a ‘shortcut’ to avoid heavy traffic.
The modern PUJ got wedged in under the overpass morning the other day after the driver misjudged the vertical clearance of his vehicle. Seven feet of vertical clearance was okay, the modern PUJ was slightly taller than that. Damage was caused to both the vehicle and the overpass. While no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, we are sure it caused traffic in that road for a while.
Sure, it’s a funny thing to happen, but it’s also a symptom of something else; drivers with old traditional PUJ attitudes handling new vehicles.
Yes, we now see a lot of modern PUJs plying different routes in our streets, and they are convenient. They are much roomier, with air-conditioning, the option to pay cashless, and closed off from the street; who wouldn’t mind forking over a few more pesos to ride them, rather than suffer being overcrowded and exposed to the heat, dust, and dirt of the road in a traditional PUJ?
But then again, many of the people behind the wheel of a modern PUJ are still of a mindset that they are driving traditional PUJs. So at times we can see them racing against each other, stopping where they shouldn’t to pick up or drop off passengers, packing passengers in like sardines in a can, and taking liberties –read that as shortcuts– when it comes to avoiding traffic.
Which was what happened here.
New vehicles and old attitudes don’t mix. Modern PUJ drivers should realize they are no longer driving traditional PUJs, but much bigger and heavier vehicles that can cause more damage or result in more injuries, or worse, if mishandled. They should be more mindful of the rules of the road and what is and isn’t allowed.