Mean streets

There’s nothing quite like Lund in fall. Cyclone winds. Rainstorms more frequent and punctual than 8 AM lectures. The seemingly never-returning sunshine. Lots of things to complain about in other words. However, there is one Lundensic concern that is not periodical like the weather.   When you step out in the streets you are stepping…

lundtan Avatar

There’s nothing quite like Lund in fall. Cyclone winds. Rainstorms more frequent and punctual than 8 AM lectures. The seemingly never-returning sunshine. Lots of things to complain about in other words. However, there is one Lundensic concern that is not periodical like the weather.

 

When you step out in the streets you are stepping out in a battlefield, and not knowing that probably means you will be the first one to be killed. Whether you are a footman, part of the rolling cavalry or a driver of a 2-ton death machine tank your task is to make life a living hell for the other people in traffic first, get from point A to point B second.

 

If one stops to observe the traffic here for a moment it is hard to come to another conclusion. People speed, honk, walk in the middle of the streets, willfully ignore turning signals, bike over pedestrian crossings, and the concept of right of way probably was lost sometime around the university’s founding. People get told by their driving instructors to aim for the cyclists (true story) and they, in turn, seek revenge in every way they can. Pedestrians try to assert themselves by performing very effective road blockages on the inner city streets (who would ever try to drive their car on Stora Tomegatan a Saturday night, for instance).

 

What has happened here is a complete deterioration of the social contract between traffickers. It probably started sometime last century, when inhabitants of other parts of Sweden coming to study, some who had never sat on a bike before started taking over the streets without any drivers experience. More than often they were probably also drunk. This made the car drivers stop caring about the rules, making everyone constantly afraid of their lives. Other people behave like idiots, therefore people think it is okay to behave like an idiot themselves. It is a vicious (bi)cycle. And I haven’t even mentioned the bus drivers (shudder).

 

How one could ever solve this problem is impossible to know and if someone does, their conflict-solving skills probably entitle them a next job in Gaza. The board of the municipality does not think it is all that complicated, though. “We know who will solve this,” they say. “A tramway driver!”

About Nådiga Lundtan

Founded in 1948 and has since been an important part of student life in the economics program at Lund University. Nådiga Lundtan covers a wide range of topics related to economics, society, and politics, as well as careers, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It is a platform for students to share their ideas and opinions on economics and related fields.

View more articles
  • I Attended and Reviewed Every Student Nation in Lund… Within One Week

    Access to 12 nations is what stands behind that quite hefty Studentlund-paywall that has to be dismantled with your hard-earned cash each new semester. Thus, naturally spawning the following questions: Is it worth it? Are the nations up to standard? Which are worth your time and which are not? Well, in my duties as a…

  • Get ready for your future with CC!

    Hello and welcome back all LundaEkonomer! I hope you had an amazing summer and are ready for the upcoming semester filled with events, sittningar and other activities. Even if you want it or not, the future is around the corner and why not kick-off your future career with fun activities with companies and their representatives,…

  • Where traditions battle change; where memories materialize; where students become adults 

    Three Lessons from Three Years at LUSEM For me, coming to Lund meant a wild and vivid feeling of falling in love with a city. As time faded, that feeling transformed into something consistent and comforting. Over three years, I, as well as those around me have changed, while Lund has remained still. Entering the…