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Driving on Indian Roads
Ever wondered about the inconveniences you face on the Indian city roads (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai or any other Indian cities for that matter) in the morning when you drive to your office or in the evening when tired and exhausted, drive back to home? I think most of us are now quite habituated in this matter, and do not like to think or write or talk much about this, all we curse is our ‘bad lucks’. I think now is the time when we have to have serious thoughts about the traffic condition in Indian roads and ways to improve them for a better commutation. The traffic conditions on Indian roads is a worst thing to mention and as the number of vehicle on Indian roads are growing day by day, your worries in this regards also increasing leaps and bounds. Today as I come to my office in the morning in Hyderabad, or drive back to home in the evening, and from the count of incidents of unruly people / vehicles come suddenly in front of me, I really doubt if people in India know that there is an unwritten rule about driving across the left side of the road. I really wonder why those road dividers are for, as I can see in here on Hyderabad that on one side of the road, vehicles moving slowing (with an indicator glowing) in both directions. In certain areas (where there is a crossing nearby), people will drive on same left side part of the road, making the two lane roads a virtual 4 track racing course! This certainly asks for a look for the so called traffic police departments, and, the fun is none of them are present (in case present, not bothered) there nearby to stop the nuisances. They will be busy somewhere else stopping an innocent truck driver and harassing him until they collect some money from that poor chap. On city roads like in Hyderabad, and in Bangalore, it is ‘survival of the fittest’, you really have to drive with your life in hand as crazy bikers and drivers will zoom past you keeping just an inch gap, such that barely you will be saved from getting hit and detracted. The overtake is from all sides - right, left, and may be the day is not very far when someone will ‘fly past’ you from above your head and gush out a stream of smoke on you. Look in the traffic light, when it is green for your way, you see still people trying to ‘somehow’ cross the roads and make their way out, despite they saw the yellow and red when they were on the other sides. And you will notice from your side some bikers will ‘vroom’ away on his bike when there is a red on opposite signal post. Here in India, it seems every body is busy and desperate to reach their destinations as fast as possible. For this, jumping a few signals, halting others just by overtaking them from back, hitting others while doing this, do not matter much for the Indian crazy drivers. The government is busy in making flyovers, increasing width of roads etc. But the real thing missing is people’s mentality and education. It will be much effective if there is a drive on promoting traffic awareness and safety aspects. Institutions and Government should do much more to educate common people, so that they become little bit aware and gentle on the roads. Other wise the day is not very far when chaos on roads will be a daily part of your life and you may have to survive with that.
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