As a man who struggles to put an IKEA single bed frame together, I’ve always had a deep admiration for craftsmen, in fact anyone who can create things with their hands.
On my morning jog around Sanabis I recently watched with great admiration as labourers toiled to lay brick pavements around the area surrounding the exhibition centre.
They were true artisans. It would probably have been quicker just to tarmac the area but placing a single brick at a time in place, sometimes in a neat pattern, was time consuming but pretty effective.
It added a touch of class to the area which attracts thousands of visitors, particularly to big events like Jewellery Arabia, and empty waste land is opened up for the thousands of additional cars that descend on the area. People can simply step out of their cars and walk safely on the nicely paved sidewalks all the way to the centre.
It seemed like a logical and a wise investment by the municipality.
Unfortunately, everyone forgot about the pavement parkers. You’ve probably met them around the malls and in most built-up areas. When they’re not parking on roundabouts or blocking your company entrance, they’re parking on pavements.
Do they care if their 4 x 4 monsters crush the pavements recently laid? Nope.
These people don’t want to walk any distance or bother parking in allocated spaces.
Now is the time for the authorities in Bahrain to wage war on the inconsiderate drivers who simply do not care about the damage they leave behind, or the cost of the repairs that may, if budgets allow, have to be carried out.
Bring in the wheel clamp with a hefty fine for its removal. The fines will fill the coffers to carry out the necessary footpath repairs … and there might be enough left in the kitty to pay a bonus to the workmen getting down on their hands and knees to make good the damage.
