THE following letter is written in response to 'pull over and let others pass', which was published in the December issue of South West Farmer.

 

I am not a farmer but am totally sick and fed up with people always having to be in a hurry.

If you are lucky enough to live in a rural area and choose to or even must, use a narrow lane to “go about your business” then allow a little longer for your journey! You might meet a 3rd generation farmer going about HIS business and will need to allow for it!

I am absolutely certain that farm vehicles will have been using the route far longer than most of the drivers in the stream of traffic mentioned, have been!

If the farmer had to pull over for the probably CONSTANT stream of cars (no it’s not only you) that are most likely trying to take a “short cut” through lanes that are not supposed to take that much traffic, then no they would never get anything done.

It seems that so many drivers these days each think that they are the special ones who have some kind of priority over all other road users and so they have a right to whine about having to take a few extra minutes to make their journey(s).

The farmer is not the thoughtless, inconsiderate and selfish one here.

Perhaps you would be better suited to city life where you are likely to get held up by dozens of your own kind instead?!  Could that be one of the reasons you decided to move to the countryside in the first place? But instead of adopting the countryside pace you are trying to change it to the pace YOU want. I wonder if you also might complain about the smell of silage or muck spreading too, ah but of course, I expect you probably have the “right” (and the money) to live in the countryside with all of its lovely benefits and expect to be able to do it without all of the inconveniences don’t you.

Put up, shut up, count your blessings and slow down a bit! You are very lucky!

Anonymous farming and countryside advocate