thumb_up 0

COMMENTS

As idontspam pointed out we need some actionable items and as syed pointed out we need to try out solutions first. Now, it is a well known fact that a complex problem can be broken down to easier more manageable portions. The more fundamental problems need to be tackled first, here is what I propose -

Pick relatively calm residential neighbhourhood streets of a few hundred meters in length with minimal traffic in 3 different parts of the city. Then in each of those 3 streets implement the following -
a) build up the sidewalks upto standard specifications, this means the correct ergonomic height, correct width to accomodate pedestrians so as to take them off the road & remove all encroachments. Example of standards - archive.ci.champaign.il.us/archive/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-2578/c11-Chapter_11_Sidewalk_Standards.pdf but these should be altered to suit Indian requirements. Residents who want to alter the sidewalks must follow a system to adhere to strict rules before damaging public property i.e roads and sidewalks (example - http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/Departments/BuildingsSafetyEngineeringDepartment/GeneralInformation/RightofWaySidewalkPermits/tabid/569/Default.aspx)
Now we have achieved the goal of removing pedestrian traffic off the roadway.
b) Now we can concentrate on the roadway itself and build it to standard specifications along with necessary lane markings.Example of standards www.augustaga.gov/.../Planning_Zoning/docs/pdf/dev/Street%20and%20Road%20Design%20-%20Sept.%202004.pdf, of course we should develop standards that suit our requirements. CRRI (www.crridom.gov.in/) at least on paper is supposed to be developing all these standards.
c)we need an enforcement mechanism to see a) and b) get done per specifications and ensure regular maintenance. Homeowners violating any building rules and encroaching must be punished stiffly.
d)Having provided a good road with sidewalks we need to turn our attention to the motorists, but before we start enforcing rules we need to setup a system in place first. We need a system like the US where using the license, traffic offences can be tracked. With every offence negative points must be given against the driver's license and the driver must be forced attend 8 hour traffic shool. If there are 3 or 4 violations in a given period (1 year or 6 months ..etc.) driver's license must be suspended and the driver must go through the licensing process from scratch.
e)Now that we have an enforcing system in place we can start an awareness campaign for 2/3 weeks starting with the home owners first because they are going to be the everyday road users of that stretch. We need to make folks aware of using sidewalks for pedestrian traffic only & keeping it free of encroachments, following traffic rules when driving etc. Pamphlets can be handed out to passing motorists.
f)then the actual enforcing should kick in. There should be a no nonsense approach to enforcement. I am not sure how we can ticket jay walkers and get them to pay the fines..any ideas?

The success of this entire prototype is very crucial because it involves all these ascpects - a) interaction between various agencies b) traffic law enforcement c) impelemtation of design standards, enforcing them & maintenance d) and the public themselves willing to take a positive role in change. If this doesn't work with the end results being finger pointing then forget about solving the larger problem and I can guarantee you that nothing can be achieved. If it works, it can be expanded to other areas gradually. Commercial entities can be roped into the program and be made accountable. It is shocking to see apartments and office complexes being built without proper parking and proper development & damaging the what little is left of the sidewalks and roads during construction activities. The reason I am advocating a small scale fully functional trial is because we have nothing short of a jungle type mob mentality on our streets where we literally don't think. At least trying reforms  at the grassroots and bringing the problem to the people's doorsteps might be worth a try.

• thumb_up Like
• · login or register to post comments

Like it or not, believe it or not, this is the reality. I will not put the blame entirely on police. In fact in most states, general police force get deputed to traffic duties on rotation. These are not trained traffic inspectors.

This is all pervading. One senior citizen from Pune who has seen my videos went to see the Pune bus Transport official. The senior gentleman said bus drivers are not aware of 'blind spots' and this is potentially fatal. The response was 'blind spot.....what is blind spot'.

Is it rocket science or not? To some extent it is. IRC gives guidelines on most things, if not, I have given links to UK road markings etc - these principles that have to be followed on well laid out protocols. In UK for example for each borough you can make out from design and appreance of each junction that they are all made to measure - like a tailor would for our shirt or trouser.

Yes, we should sack the lot......BUT what will that achieve.....like we have no one to replace the current lot of politicians we have no one else to do the job.

Part of the education is to get people to think differently about the job they do. In Pune, I have been trying to suggest that a bus driver / conductor needs to comprehend how important their role is............... and that its not just a shift job that pays a monthly salary. When people own up to their responsibility things will change. If I can sit and do research from miles away, they can too, but they do not - why they don't and how can we get them to do it is a key issue.

I could go on for ever, but effectively, without education and effort to change our work ethos we won't get far (that is why every successful corporate invests in training cycles for their staff year after year).

ASJ 

PS: Adding a quick note about subways / escalators. Others may differ or share their experiences. But actually I see more people on pavements of London than in Pune. In fact in many cities like Pune it is now a norm to go to corner shops on a scooter!! Even on the most crowded rail stations in Mumbai like Churchgate / VT (CST) where subways are there huge numbers who cross roads at red lights. When you see it, one has to settle down and accept that people in cars have to be secondary and right to walk comes first. A paradigm shift is needed to move away from thinking that we can build our way out of problems (we may be growing at 10% for over a decade, but in a country where 80% live on a dollar, I am very uncomfortable with spending on escalators etc, its too costly for richest of countries).

• thumb_up Like
• · login or register to post comments

A wise man once said that the character of a nation can be judged by how its people drive on the streets. Road sense on Indian streets is often completely missing. The consequent chaos is on display for the whole world to mock and laugh by way of hundreds of videos on Youtube. Being a psychiatrist, I have always wondered and tried to understand the genesis of the pathology or indiscipline on Indian roads. Over time I have come up with a few theories, some I have discarded myself. I will however present to the interested reader below - Indian masses have been subjugated and ruled over by others ''foreign powers'' for hundreds of years. People were left powerless and enslaved. Could it be that the chronic dis-empowerment of the masses has led to a paradoxical ''abuse of the freedom'' we gained about 60 years ago? Then there is the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. As seen in the diagram below, the basic needs of hunger and safety (security is a better word) need to be fulfilled before being able to move to more civil ways of living, eventually leading to self actualisation. Again, could it be that the since gaining freedom we have struggled with ''poverty'' and hence for huge majority रॊटी, कपडा और मकान is a bigger challenge to think and deal with rather than road safety. (wikipedia image inserted by blr_editor) But then look at the roads in South Africa, despite a similar history to ours and years of subjugation, lack of freedom and economic instability, their roads are far better than those in India with regards discipline and following of the traffic rules. May be then the The Western / UK drivers can follow rules more easily as the roads are bigger and number of vehicles very few. Perhaps they can do so because they do not have multiple modes of transport (rickshaw, motor bikes et al). Or could it be that their road signage is so good that drivers find it easier to follow rules? In realty though, many Western cities have population densities similar to ours. In the Western world 80% use personal vehicles, this means car densities may be even higher than those seen on Indian roads. Most EU cities are historical and do not always have wide roads. Congestion and traffic jams are common, but one hardly ever hears any honking. And rules are followed by all, including those on bikes, cycles, mobility scooters, buses, truck drivers.....the lot. In fact as explained on my FAQ, The videos are even more relevant to 2/3 wheel drivers. Often these vehicles do not have mirrors (definitely there is no rear view). This then makes checking blind spot more important for such drivers. The principle of MSM (video 2), dealing with traffic lights, dealing with junctions (giving way), dealing with roundabouts, speed limits, keeping safe distance (far more important for 2 wheelers which take longer to stop than cars), tailgating and the biggest of all - showing courtesy - everything applies to all types of vehicles, cyclists included. Could it be that the Indian culture and tradition of hospitality was lost by us over centuries? Some of our behaviours like spitting across each others face, littering, honking at each other and lack of consideration for fellow humans on our roads suggests this is a huge problem. But then will this be a reason for our poor record on road safety and indiscipline? Now the Western culture is not any more courteous or better than ours. From mugging to gun crime, all vices are rife in most cities. In fact ethical and moral violations are as common (if not more) in the Western world. I am hence inclined to think this in itself does not completely explain the chaos on Indian roads. The other possible explanation is the ''power equation''. Being a populated country, there is competition right from the word go. We have to struggle to get places in schools, universities and jobs. Its cut throat. Perhaps this habitual competitive streak which we end up with is seen on our roads as well, where every vehicle driver tries to occupy every inch available at the cost of road safety and discipline. The other related thought is the powerlessness one experiences in our lives. My doctor colleagues render patients powerless, as a doctor in a bus, the conductor renders me powerless. The बाबू अ at the window or the telephone company man or the civic official meant to rectify the water supply...... the person in the seat of power constantly leaves the other feeling vulnerable and weak. Almost habitually then, perhaps the driver of a vehicle, suddenly finds himself / herself in the seat of power and ruthlessly deems or makes an effort to deem everyone else, especially the pedestrians completely powerless. However, all the above happens between every interacting humans across the globe and yet traffic discipline in many countries is superior to that in India. One final piece of the jigsaw is ''education and awareness''. Yet, it is not formal education (whether one completed schooling) that matters. What matters is the driver education and training which instils the right road habits at the outset. Britain has one of the toughest driving test which can be taken even by school dropouts, the point is by the time one passes the test, the correct road etiquette is ingrained in to the drivers. I would think that the above covers numerous possibilities. To me its know-how and training at the outset which is useful. This includes know-how which traffic authorities need to have. This very nicely brings me to collating my thoughts on how Indian road traffic can be reformed. To read more on how we could reform India's traffic and road culture, click here. Dr. Adhiraj Joglekar Visit www.driving-india.blogspot.com Your one stop resource to video tutorials covering all aspects of defensive driving.

• thumb_up Like
• · login or register to post comments

very interesting collection of thesis doc. and i am immensely impressed that, like a good teacher, you have resisted the urge to give the "answer". i will attempt to arrive at an answer if you promise not to psychoanalyze me by looking at my "worksheet" :) rofl!!!

• thumb_up Like
• · login or register to post comments

Fantastic piece. I have been so obsessed over the past couple of years with this topic that I have been planning to travel to various African and S.American (Since I have seen enough of the other continents) countries to see for myself if the aphorism “a nation can be judged by its drivers” holds any water. I have been mostly doing armchair traveling up to now. Just the other day I was drooling over pictures of downtown Windhoek dreaming of the day Bangalore’s streets will resemble those of the capital of the economic basket case of Namibia. (Hmmm, I wonder if Windhoek blows a hole in this theory)

 

Let me throw some of my observations into the mix.

 

1. To quote another great philosopher  (actually this is Pogo, a cartoon character!), “We have met the enemy and he is us”. In other words we, who are recalcitrant and procrastinate in raising our voices against this malady, are the enemy. We who should take a tough stand against the “White Indica with Yellow License Plate” attitude so prevalent in Bangalore, have instead chosen to embrace this attitude. The “we” that I employ is the collective we – drivers of WIWYLP, BMTC drivers, private car drivers, petite software engineers, IISc professors, marketing consultants, Brahmin priests, two wheeler riders etc. (Especially the two wheeler riders. I have a whole movie plot on this last category called “Two-Wheeler Fighter Pilot” at http://www.abengalurustateofmind.blogspot.com/). 

 

The point is --  we the people are breaking the law of the land with impunity and the law enforcers are either too impotent to act or too busy being bought. As bialterminal said we are busy pointing a finger at others not realizing that there are three pointing back at us. This law breaking has become so rampant and widespread that the few law-abiding folks look like fools. 

 

2. Why is this happening? The good doctor has his theses – all very reasonable. I have my own theories.

 

o       We as a society behave like we suffer from a great deprivation where there is a shortage of everything. So we have to go grab stuff before the other guy gets it. When I was growing up in the 60s and early 70s this deprivation was widespread – foodstuff, toiletries, automobiles, two wheelers, you name it. So we created a stampede wherever we went. You should have seen the people that mobbed me in my hostel room in Pilani all because I was the proud owner of a medium-size tube of Groom and Clean hair cream that I had somehow managed to get from the US!  

We no longer suffer from such shortages but we seem to carry the institutional memory – it has been coded into our genes it would appear. Only today we do not hanker after a tube of hair cream like we used to. But we still our “shortages” at least in our minds – free space on our roads for example – I have to get there just in case the other guy gets there before me.

 

o       A sense of entitlement. We believe we own all public property and what we do with is nobody else’s business. This means I can park wherever I want, drive the wrong way on a one-way street, hog two lanes of a road when all I need is one, etc. I do not have a complete grasp of the genesis of this attitude.

o       Driver education. I recently applied for my Karnataka DL. I, who has had a near blemish less driving record of 40 years barely managed to pass my written test where I was stumped by questions like these: what are the dimensions of an “L” board? What do you do if a dog chases you when you are driving a motorbike (my application was for a car license)? How many hand signals are there (not what the hand signal for something is)? There were also some questions on safe overtaking that made no sense at all. The entire learning/testing process for getting a license is antiquated and relies on rote learning. I suppose in one sense it is a reflection of our educational system.

 

3.      What do we do about this? The idea of traffic wardens have been proposed and thrown out in this thread. I believe that having volunteer traffic wardens that are ordinary citizens (chosen from the citizenry like notary public are chosen in the US and perhaps even in India) to supplement the public servants could be a good start. If there is a volunteer traffic corps made up of incorruptible, law-abiding citizens who keep the wardens on government payroll on check, enforcement will begin to work. I got this idea the other day while I watched a gentleman in a nicely starched shirt and tie (I am acquainted with this gent – very civic minded person) untangle a traffic jam near Ulsoor lake. Singapore used to have this in the early 80s when I lived there.

 

The idea of a volunteer traffic warden is just an example. What I am proposing is a private-public partnership at the grass roots level not at a policy making level to attack the problem.

 

I for one will be happy to volunteer 4 days a week enforcing parking.

 

 

• thumb_up Like
• · login or register to post comments