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Big Yellow Taxi



Every five years, our highways, main trunk or artery roads, and if you're lucky, collector roads that run in front of your house, are re-sealed in order to please the hearts and cars of thousands of motorists in Sarawak. This is not a unique culture in Sarawak per se, but it is a "cultural" norm throughout Malaysia every time election season draws near. 

It makes me wonder, for the same amount spent on fixing roads, that did not really need any major repair works in the first place, could the money be spent on some much needed public amenities such as community halls, or better parks, or perhaps better landscaping along the roads. 

I took this photograph during my morning rush. Seeing how this roller parked next to the park reminded me of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"and how relevant that song is still today, I played with the idea of this photo opportunity for a couple of days before I decided to take this photo while they were still doing road works in that area. Luckily, that morning's traffic was quite smooth so I had some time to stop by and capture this scene.

As much as I would like to have smoother roads to drive on, I do think that we should perhaps consider the long term programme of planting shadier trees along the road as these trees take much longer time to grow compared to the life cycle of the roads. By providing a much more calming and scenic motoring experience, perhaps the number of accidents may decrease as motorists begin to slow down and appreciate nature. Also, it may reduce the stress levels among motorists, which in turn reduces the amount of road rage. 

Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10
Lens: M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6
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Location: Bandar Baru Batu Kawa, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

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