Shillong’s loud automobiles
The capital city in well known for car and motorcycle enthusiasts to modify their vehicles to make them sound louder and more intimidating. These enhanced automobiles’ earsplitting and deafening noise trigger shaking windows and rattling closet doors.
On a racetrack, it is a common feat. But late into the night or early in the morning, you hate to hear it. Adding to the cacophony, there are also drivers who make it a point to blast loud music late at night, while driving through a slumbering neighbourhood thinking it is “cool” especially when they are around friends. Residents alongside these roads where blaring cars travel on a daily are left infuriated.
In fact, it is considered ill-mannered and uncivil to be going around making loud noises with cars in the locality. Moreover, a recent episode in Laitumkhrah Police Point highlights an over-avid motorist circling the roundabout performing “drifting burnouts” consequently obstructing pedestrians and traffic in the area.
Should you call the police for loud car disturbances in your area?
The answer is yes. However, you should first confront them politely and if that does not bear fruit, giving a phone call to the authorities is probably the wisest thing you could do.
Watch out!
Think about the kind of drama you’d be subject to, if, and that is only if, a car whooshes past you and splashes water from a puddle on you.
Only recently, the rains happened after an unusual warm March, and our roads are full of puddles.
It is now, and in the coming days when many cars will have you drenched in puddle water while they glide away in the comfort of their sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs et al.
For fellow Shillongites who relate to this inconvenience, the stakes are high, and you know.
For schoolchildren, it’s the uniform and their books, for office-goers, it’s their office attires which they so lovingly prepared that morning, and for the rest it’s simply the water.
Let’s consider what can be done.
Should the puddles be drained of the water? Or should one be extremely careful when encountering puddles along the city roads?
A last alternative could be this — drivers must spare some amount of attention to puddles and whether any student or people in general are near the puddle.
We can drive slow on the puddle and not cause it to splash.
Then may be instead of angry glares and curses, the pedestrians and drivers can exchange smiles.
Losing parking tickets
The concept of parking tickets is as weird as they get in Shillong.
When you lose one, what do you do?
The obvious answer is you tell the guys collecting the parking fees that you lost the slip.
Well, based on where you’re parking, you’ll be subject to some grand schemes.
At one of the most happening places in Shillong, if you’ve lost the ticket they charge you more than what you’re supposed to pay.
These slips, mostly, have but one information — the time you enter the parking lot.
Yet, they are of utmost importance!
Also, at some places you have to pay parking fees without any receipt.
Well what do you make of that?
A Shillongite who frequents one of the parking lots in the city said, “I lost it once! And I was dreading because I had heard thing like ‘they ask your licence’, ‘you’ll have to pay extra’. Things like that.”
“Now, luckily I escaped with an explanation. And he even remembered me. So he charged me the nominal fee.”
Don’t lose the ticket, he advised.
