WHO wouldn’t jump at the chance to use public transport if, it has to be said, it was safe, peaceable and well-ordered - the way it used to be?

Because, let’s face it, driving yourself anywhere these days is an ordeal.

A friend sent me a photograph by WhatsApp the other day – you may have received it too, because it’s currently doing the rounds.

It shows a small hatchback driving in the rain somewhere in the vicinity of the Kinsale Road roundabout with what appears to be a large bundle of big wooden stakes protruding several feet out from the boot, and also through the open front passenger window.

Major traffic hazard.

Was this driver stopped? Given the paucity of garda traffic patrols these days, who knows? More than likely not.

Someone else sent me a short video taken through the passenger window of a car. It shows a large lorry driving north through heavy rain on the M1 – dragging a boy in a shopping trolley. The boy is crouching in the trolley, holding onto the rear of the lorry with his hands. It was like something out of a horror film.

Wouldn’t you far prefer to be on a quiet, safe bus or train (if, that is, buses and trains weren’t full of pests shouting into their mobile phones, behaving like lunatics and giving aggro to passengers and staff alike?) Think about it.

This is driving in Ireland today. Anywhere in........

© Evening Echo