O traffic, kal aana!

Our Only Wish As We Step Out On The Road, Hoping For A Smooth Ride

$9.6 billion – that is the amount Delhi loses on an annual basis as a result of traffic jams. Other metro cities share a similar fate, with Bengaluru trailing behind at about $5.92 billion, Mumbai at $4.8 billion and finally Kolkata losing about $1.97 billion per year. Travellers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata spend about 1.5 hours more on their daily commutes than their counterparts in other Asian cities during peak hours; Courtesy, none other than our very own – Traffic jams.

Yeh signal kab khulega?

Victims of the traffic breathe out fire, but Ruchika Sehgal turned out to be brave enough to get their feelings out.
Ruchika asks her dad about what infuriates him when stuck in a traffic jam.
“People on road don’t bother to follow traffic rules. The saddest part is that ambulances and fire brigades also get stuck in the middle of traffic and can’t get to people on time, leading to loss of lives. Students can’t reach school and college on time and working people get late for their meetings. A lot of time and work gets hampered.”
Next, Ruchika spoke with her neighbour Mrs Verma who had just come back from work, late.
“With the growing population, traffic growth becomes quite obvious. The remedy to this growing traffic lies in effective planning and implementation at various levels. The cities and their roadways need to be effectively planned as the existing plans don’t suffice.”
She also had a word with her senior in school, Lila Sharma concerning the mismanaged and irritable traffic.
“The two most annoying things on road are impolite drivers and getting stuck in jams. They really upset me. Say, when I  am running late and I get stuck in traffic, I miss my class. I have to deal with others trying to get ahead of the rest. It angers me because these people don’t realise that their actions could lead to mishaps. I am not sure if I should get used to this, because it’s so wrong and it happens almost on a daily basis.”

 

Driving is a huge responsibility that must be learned and practiced over and over. Drive safely, obey the traffic laws and respect
the rights of
other drivers.

Aage toh badhao bhai!

Stop Cribbing And Start Acting Smart

• While travelling for short distances, prefer walking.  It helps you reach your destination sooner, and you don’t have to worry about trying to get out of the traffic jam.
  
• Try to take maximum advantage of public transport– buses, autos, metro or whatever works for you. Reducing the number of vehicles on road will go a long way in reducing snarls.
  
• Carpooling saves your fuel and gives you company for long or short rides. Pool in with your friends while going. Also, with apps like Ola and Uber, you can choose to pool in with other people who are going in the same direction.
  
• Before leaving your house or workplace, do make sure you check the traffic status on Google Maps. It tells you how long the jam can last and also shows you with the routes with faster moving traffic.
  
• Pay attention to traffic reports on the radio. People talk about most and least crowded routes. Look out for what suits you, turn your car and don’t look back!
• Kaafi jagah hai, nikal hi jaayegi

Myth: Nobody obeys traffic lights at night.

Reality: Whether it’s 2 pm or 2 am, if the traffic light ahead of you is functional then you  ought to obey. Driving responsibly is not a choice.

Myth: Reversing in the wrong direction on a one-way street is okay.
Reality: It’s not. Because on a one-way street, the direction of traffic flow matters and not that of your parked vehicle.
Myth: You can only overtake another vehicle from the right.
Reality: If the automobile in front of you has indicated to turn right, it would be a careless gesture to overtake them from the same side. At times, using common sense while taking over is a good idea.

Myth: High beam means more visibility at night.
Reality: High beam is blinding for the oncoming traffic. Use them only while driving on a dark highway at night or on rural roads with more pedestrians and cyclists.

Aur kitna aage tak hai?

In 2010, a traffic jam on a highway near Beijing kept cars stuck in
traffic for more than a week (9-12 days according to different sources). The traffic jam itself went on for 97 kilometers and was caused by trucks carrying coal to Beijing.

Transport demand in India has increased by almost eight times since the 1980s.

Delhi has the highest share
of people using their private cars for commuting at 45%, while in Bengaluru, the share is 38%.

India has the highest rate of road accident fatalities in the world with 105,725 in 2006.

A regular
rush-hour driver wastes about 375 litres of fuel on an average every year due to
traffic.

Text: Japnoor Kaur, Purvi Aneja, Hitika Girover, Prathma Srivastava, Ruchika Sehgal, VII, AIS Gur 43. This story was selected as Best Entry in GT Holiday Homework 2017-18.