Thursday, April 10, 2008

No Honking

So it was No Honking day on April 7 in Bombay. Did it work? It was not a success because people who drive in Bombay are absolutely short of patience. They also have this ingrained in their system to honk when the traffic is standstill as if honking will magically make the vehicles move again.
However, we should look at it from a different perspective - I do not think they should be blamed entirely. Take a look at the way traffic moves. There are rickshaws and trucks that never seem to be in one lane. They never go straight; you are never sure, when they will decide to come to the lane that you are driving on that to without any indication.
Then there are jaywalkers who take pride in running across the road when the vehicle is really close to them. They think of themselves as stunt masters. They walk slowly when the vehicle is far and the driver thinks, "Ok this guy is going to wait till I drive past him". However, as soon as the vehicle nears him, he starts running giving a victorious look at the driver.
Then there are various animals- dogs, cows and others that take a leisurely walk on the roads. You need to intimate them to move on else, you will face the wrath of Maneka Gandhi and party.
Of late, a new menace has been growing. People drive in the opposite lanes, when the traffic in their side of the lane gets very messy. This leads to traffic on both sides; and ultimately traffic comes to a standstill, and the old habit of honking gets into action. Drivers continue to do this in spite of knowing that ultimately a traffic jam will be caused. Nevertheless, nobody really cares.

I guess the policy is – “If I suffer a traffic jam so shalt thou (in the opposite lane)”