World's Most Dangerous Roads & Its Not The Road Conditions - Delhi Edition
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In the pic is a rather familiar sight of an evening strolling traffic in Delhi. The leisurely speed of heavy traffic is only broken by the frantic horns from the panic-stricken drivers. What you see in the picture is a traffic jam which started on one correct (left) side of the road, and remained there until some wise guy decided that the drivers on the other side do not deserve such speedy transit. The result, as it appears in the humble picture presented above, is a traffic congestion on both sides of the road.
Meanwhile, I could see my destination (the Peepal tree on the right) within a hand grab. But Alas! the luck would not have it any which way. It took me good 30 mins to make it to that place (from where I stand), thanks to some good Samaritans, trying to manage the traffic with little luck and without cooperation from stuck drivers.
Few things, which noticeably made it worse (and also those which did not), I'll try to point out below:
- Behaviour of drivers
- Blocking the way of other vehicles
- Haste to be the first one out
- Consistent (and unnecessary) blowing of horn
- Blocking of road in places by garbage dumps transformer installation and parked vehicles
Things that did not contribute to worsening of the situation included the following:
- Infrastructure
- Traffic Police
- A truck which had met with an accident ahead leading to the situation
Now you must be wondering how the truck accident did not make it worse? It started the whole thing! You are right, truck accident started the whole thing, but it did not make it worse. An already dire situation was worsened by the casual attitude of the drivers. One thing as a driver on the road everyone should remember,
"On the road, if you always want to be the first, all of us will be late. But if you can give way and let other drivers be the first, chances are you will end up reaching early."
Infrastructure
The road is wide enough! For the area and the kind of traffic, it receives every day the Chatterpur-Faridabad road is wide enough. The resorts and farm houses have enough land to build a dedicated parking space inside and away from the road. But despite everything being in place, cars, taxis, autos and even trucks can be found parked outside on the road, because well, that's how it is done in this part of the world.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good (Me)
Once I made the mistake of asking a scooter wale bhai saab to park little on the inside so as not to block the turn, the reply I got was consistent with that attitude, "Tere nikalne ki jagah hai na, to nikal, bakwas mat kare! (en. You got the space to leave so leave, don't fuck with me!)"
The Bad (Feeling)
I felt as if I made the mistake of my life. Never have I dare say anything for the welfare of people to anyone ever since, at least not on the road. Roads here, are like a road through hellfire. You have heaven on both ends, but to get from one heaven to the other you got to go through the test of your life.
The road is where you will be hounded by four-wheelers (or any vehicle bigger than yours) trying to overtake you by dislodging you from your lane, and the two-wheelers (vehicle smaller than yours) will pounce on you from an opening on either side of the road.
The road is where you will be hounded by four-wheelers (or any vehicle bigger than yours) trying to overtake you by dislodging you from your lane, and the two-wheelers (vehicle smaller than yours) will pounce on you from an opening on either side of the road.
The Ugly (Everyone else)
The driver behind you will drive close enough on your tail to bump you off the road, just in case you happen to break hard, and the driver beside you can anytime jump in front of you without any signal. I truly feel lucky twice a day commuting in this city with such challenging roads.
The Better Drivers on the Road
My experience of bad and worse drivers is not consistent, it is often broken by unexpected people, in unexpected places. So, yes there are drivers who know the safety needs and know how dangerous your vehicle can be for others and yourself. It's just the sheer number of A category holes that these B+ category is not getting any say in the Delhi brand of driving.
What Do Better Drivers Do Different
It is simple, better drivers treat other drivers with respect on the road, regardless of their vehicle size or type.
- They showcase a community behaviour, which is consistent with co-existence of people.
- They will be using indicators before changing the lane or taking a turn.
- They will stop and accelerate slowly enough for other drivers to notice and change course.
- They will have no problem running at a consistent speed of the traffic and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle out front.
- They don't generally honk in traffic just to get ahead of everyone else.
How to Make Better Drivers
Since I'm bashing the bad drivers let me also offer the solution. No! No! I'm not asking for mass incarceration (though it can be a good idea given the traffic and pollution levels in Delhi). What I ask is for is for every one of us, to recognise drivers for their good behaviour, and driving.
Appreciate such drivers in the moments when you feel they did something consistent with the community behaviour. Even if you cannot fight off against the bad behaviour, appreciating and encouraging good behaviour will help these drivers be more consistent and motivated to reciprocate the favour.
Hope this gives some insight for a better tomorrow. Happy driving.
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