Feline Musings

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Our company recently entertained American clients visiting India. Amidst all the varied experiences that they had in India (including spicy cuisine), each of them has a special comment on the traffic in all the five cities they visited - Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, and of course the National Capital Region. One of them commented, “First you drive on the wrong side of the road, then you drive in the wrong side of the car, and then you drive all wrong. I am amazed at the multi-tasking skills and split-second reflexes that drivers in India possess! I have been at the edge since I drove out of IGI airport..!”

Another month later, hubby was meeting his boss with an Oxford background. The boss’s astute, disciplined, very-English mind was all the more flabbergasted by the traffic condition in NCR. The zip-zap-zoom drive and the constant honking received his comments too!

Most of us may take the comments of our cities traffic with a pinch of salt, or with deliberate humor. But, I feel ashamed. Ashamed, because we call ourselves competitive, cultured, progressive, and our advertisements boast of world-class infrastructure, but the hardcore fact is that people lose their lives on the roads of our cities with road-rage and accidents taking a daily toll! Like our foreign visitors we cannot shrug away our responsibilities with comment, criticism, or crass humor. A more positive approach of suggestion, and sustained improvement is required.

Some suggestions that I have to improve the traffic condition in my city are:

Segregate fast moving and slow moving traffic. We have to face the fact that our country has vast economic diversity and this is clearly visible on Indian roads. While we have Mercs and BMWs zipping past us, we also have the painfully trudging cycle rickshaws, hand-pulled carts, and the callous cyclists. Bullock-carts and horse-drawn carriages are also recognized means of transportation in some parts of the city such as Noida and Old Delhi. We cannot eliminate this form of traffic from the roads, but we can atleast segregate the slow moving and fast moving traffic by creating separate cycle or side-lanes. While this will promote safety of the relatively slower traffic, it will also help in maintaining consistent speed and smoother movement for similar fast-paced traffic. Similarly, pedestrian lanes and over bridges should be constructed.

Sensitize the general public about the need to know and abide by traffic rules. One major step in this direction would be to control fake and improperly attained driving license. As in most developed countries, we should have driving classes, followed by a driving test and then a proper driving license should be issued to competent drivers. For two-wheeler drivers using helmets and for four-wheeler drivers belting up can be small and significant measures. Regular drivers and daily commuters can discuss psychological issues like road rage, time and stress related issues in forums or with trained professionals, who can guide them with relaxation and stress-buster techniques. Talking about problems and issues faced on a daily basis is one of the first steps to find a solution.

Strict measures are required by the government to prevent rash driving, breaking speed limits, ignoring traffic signals and bypassing traffic rules. The old saying goes, “Spare the rod and spoil the child” and this is exactly what has happened with the Indian traffic system. Corruption and laxity on the part of the Indian traffic policy, has led to total chaos and disintegration of the entire system. To get the system back to track, fear and control have to be re-established. People will learn to respect the “rules of the road” only after they pay fines, or face humiliation for breaking the rules.

Smooth it up: Bumpy roads, unmaintained traffic signals, unmanned cross-roads, open pot-holes, poor drainage system, bad lighting, also add to the woes of the regular commuter. A well-organized and safe public transport system can also reduce the number of personal vehicles on the road. Flyovers have added to the woes of the city traffic as the problem of converging traffic is still unresolved. Proper long-term planning and not short-term insight is required to smooth up the traffic in our city.

Speed it down: Where human intervention and control is not always possible, the next plausible method of controlling speed is using Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Sensors, live cameras, navigation software, and elaborate usage of signs and boards can help in some measure to allow regular communters to plan their travel and control speeding. Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh is the only State in India where a general speed limit is neither legally set nor enforced. Legal steps should be taken to curb and control speed in the best interest of the commuting masses.

Separate traffic timings for regular motors and heavy vehicles is another method of optimum usage of resources. Trucks, tractors, tankers, heavy construction vehicles, storage and goods carriers and similar traffic should be restricted to movement within specific areas and at specific times. For example, if such heavy traffic is prevented from entering city limits or in and around school/university areas during the day time/school and office hours, not only will many commuters be safe on the roads, but traffic jams can also be prevented due to smooth flow of similar-paced vehicles.

Most things are easier said than done and this is particularly true for infrastructure improvement. Improvement on a mass scale is all the more difficult and may almost seem unachievable. However, I have tried to pinpoint those areas that can be easily improved. I hope atleast one S-factor out of the six listed above can help NCR to be a safer place to commute in.

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