Thursday, November 30, 2006

Fright At The End Of The Tunnel

Lisbon Driver Was Stopping All Stations

A Lisbon driver took a wrong turn and headed down a subway tunnel in Portugal's second-largest city yesterday. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the driver, who was alone in his vehicle and was said to be in his fifties, veered down a ramp for emergency vehicles. He drove about 500m on the tracks, forcing operators to halt trains in the tunnels. Emergency services towed the vehicle out of the tunnel, back to where it belonged on the road.

Afterthought No.1: Just hope the driver was not my friend Terry (aka El Tel). Maria, if it was indeed Terry after a big night on the sauce, let me know and I'll bail him - or put him on a train!

Afterthought No.2: Maybe the guy was just an errant Roads Scholar.

2 comments:

Fletch said...

I didn't reply immediately to your email (or to the unfair aspersions you've cast on my driving skills), because Maria's brother and family were due to visit us on the Friday.

I thought I would get the story straight from a Porto (the second largest city referred to) resident, and fully expected a barrage of cutting comments about the mental and driving capabilities of Lisbon drivers, since there's not much love lost between the two cities.

What I wasn't prepared for was the non-committal shrug.

Apparently these things happen so regularly that the residents are pretty blasé about it all.

One more reason why you don't find me behind the wheel here in Portugal.

david mcmahon said...

Ah, you're a good man, El Tel,
I'm glad your driving is confined to the local golf course.
Loved your yarn about getting the lowdown from a Porto resident.
That could be our next Porto call, so to speak!
Cheers
David