Traffic

This is a video from our cab ride driving into Agra. 

There was a Shiva festival that night and the roads were packed. 

This might give a glimpse of the craziness of the traffic here.

Traffic is crazy here. There are very few street lights, I have not seen any traffic signs, and the only rule seems to be bigger vehicles prevail. Jon and I have gone up to the busy road just to watch the traffic. Cars pull into openings in the highway to take a u-turn to the other side which seems outrageous but miraculously works.  Watching the traffic is fascinating. What looks like it is supposed to be 2 lanes will often end up having 4 lanes or more if motorcycles are included. People ride sometimes 3 and 4 on a motorcycle and often what looks like whole families. I have seen a father with 2 young children on the back of a bike with one of them holding an infant. The women usually sit sidesaddle because most of the time they are wearing burkas or saris, which can be a problem on a moving vehicle. Not many people wear helmets but some do.

One Saturday when we were out with Harsh, a woman was having trouble with the gears and was unable to get her car up the hill. She looked like she would back up into Harsh so he got out and drove her car up the hill for her. I cannot believe she was out driving in that craziness with that level of skill, or lack of it. There have been many times that I have been sure we were going to be hit by another vehicle. Driving in this traffic takes an act of faith and there is plenty of that here. When a car is new it goes through a puja which is a Hindu ceremony to bless the car. The owner puts a red ribbon usually around the shift stick and a god on the dashboard, mostly Ganesha. Ganesha symbolizes success and he is the destroyer of evil and obstacles, which makes him a logical choice for the dashboard. The vehicle is blessed every year after that.

Walking near busy roads is a hazard in itself. Rule no.1 - cars have the right of way (as do cows). So far I am terrified every time we cross a busy road. I was almost hit by a motorcycle driver in Khajuraho on what wasn't even a busy road. A couple of stories in the newspaper talk about a motorcyclist who tried to overtake a bus and was killed. Also, there have been several stories about pedestrians who were hit. In Delhi we experienced road rage first hand when we saw a motorcycle driver start to attack an autorickshaw driver (or tuk-tuk as they are called in Northern India). Delhi has more streetlights than other cities we have been in and it was also more congested.

After numerous outings in cars, tuk-tuks and as a pedestrian, I am starting to see that the traffic has a pattern that flows. I think if street lights, signs and more rules were added, things would not flow as smoothly. People seem to find their place in the craziness and move forward. We have taken several tuk-tuk rides and I even enjoy them. Jon and I were in a tuk-tuk one Friday during a heavy rain and both got soaked. The driver was playing Indian music and I thought the experience was a bit enchanting despite the fact that we were soaking wet, breathing in smog, and dodging vehicles left and right. Based on what we have seen, there does not seem to be an easy solution to the congestion and traffic issues. Delhi has a subway system but we did not use it. Putting in a mass transit system underground in Hyderabad and other cities we visited does not seem feasible and more buses would only clog the roadways more. Vehicles with fewer emissions would absolutely be an improvement though.