Thursday, April 28, 2005

Organized Chaos - Traffic In India

For all international travellers or otherwise, it is an amazement that traffic in India doesn't suffer from more accidents that the current rate. A concept of organized chaos (quite a good oxymoron) - quite a few international friends of mine has liked it to the video/computer games at 'Expert' Level

Quite frankly, after the purchase of my Indigo Marina and the subsequent effort of learning driving a car in Indian roads, disgust has creeped into my system. I am disgusted at the lack of basic driving etiquettes in Indians. Be it the cyclist who doesn't even respond to repeated horns; or the motorcyclist - for whom overtaking a car on the right is the biggest insult of his life; or the autorickshaw - traffic rules! they are more mortals like us, not for these exalted rulers of the road; and i have not even started.

A good example is the recent introduction of lane system in one of Chennai's arterial road networks - Poonamalle High Road where the right most lane was marked & reserved for motorcyclists and Autorickshaws. A week into the introduction, i was going through the road and could hardly see any motorcyclists use the lane.

I can also hardly understand why cyclist, autorickshaws and motorcyclists have to stand outside the STOP line, when they are waiting at the traffic lights - just as they seem to make deft turns at the last possible minute without any indications to the hapless driver behind

Welcome to the world of Indian Traffic logic!

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