10 things you learn ...

... when driving on Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong:

[1] The lane you are in will always be the slowest - no matter how many times you change lanes .... so why bother? Its less stressful and safer to just keep to your own lane.

[2] No one reads/obeys road signs. See a 60km/h sign? No worries, go ahead and drive at 140km/h until *BANG* you hit the car in front of you ... lost count the number of times I've seen this happen. If you ask 100 drivers on the LDP, probably 99 of them won't know that motorcycles, trucks and construction vehicles aren't allowed on overheads and underpasses .... no one reads the signs *sigh*

[3] "I see dead animals" On average, you will see at least one roadkill per journey. So far I've seen the usual cats and dogs. And then theres the occasional snake, alligator, turtle, stork, cow (how in the heck do you hit a cow and not leave the vehicle behind?) goat, iguana etc.

[4] The driver throwing rubbish out their windows are more often those that are driving BMWs, Mercs, Alfas of some other high-priced vehicle. During these times I really pity those drivers ... their cars cost so much that they can't afford a rubbish bin at home and are forced to drive just to throw their trash. Worst offenders are those that throw diapers onto highways *yuck*

[5] Majority of drivers on the right lane are on the wrong lane. Want to turn left? Then keep right ... however most drivers wait until the very last minute and the last 2 metre stretch before merging like crazy just to get into the wrong lane .... and please learn to signal-lah.

[6] Planning a journey on the LDP is based on two important factors. Time of journey and weather. If travelling during peak hours (mornings from 0730 to 1000 and evenings from 1630 to 1930) add at least 45 minutes of travelling time. If it is raining add one hour .... scale as necessary depending on how far into the journey you are. If it is peak AND raining add 95 minutes travelling time. To prepare for unpredictable scenarios (i.e. snake in temple, 6 car pileup, overhead pedestrian bridge collapse, etc) add X = ∞ time. ALWAYS make sure the gas tank is half-full in the first two conditions.

[7] Drivers that 'flash' you are usually on the wrong lane (see point number 5). 'Nuff said.

[8] ALL construction on LDP is for show only. No matter WHAT they add or WHEN they do it, it still does not solve the problem of overcapacity. The management doesn't seem to understand that the problems are mostly cause by the high number of exits on the highway (*snort* yeah right ... "highway" konon). For example, block of the exit in from of St. Ignatius Church and that will reduce the slowdown on the overhead approaching since there is already a sliproad before that .... simple really. Last-ditch measures like contra-flows only push the problem around and never really solve it at all.

[9] Yes there are ways to avoid some tolls and in some cases actually save you time and money.

[10] ALL the electronic signboards on the LDP are useless and tell you nothing about traffic conditions. Recently they only promoted "Promosi Touch 'n Go di Alamanda" throughout the day .... at Kelana Jaya .... come-on lah people. Who in their right money-saving minds will go to Alamanda when they are in KJ?