There are two kinds of people in Bengaluru: those who seek adventure trips and those who dare to drive relatively long distances inside the heart of the city. I am a part of the latter and how the adventure associated with the daily trips to office and back home is increasing day by day is appalling.
I don't know the global standards for time taken to cover a particular distance, however, in Bengaluru, it takes 1 hour to cover a distance of 15 kilometers. Mind you, this is the time taken in a two wheeler driven by a person who knows the in and out of the route. Based on the number of wheels in your vehicle, this time may increase by 50% or 100%. I had gotten used this fact long time ago and took it in my stride, consoling myself that the city is helping me develop the great virtue of patience. Slowly, but, steadily the city is pushing each of those who drive to the limits of this virtue.
I felt this so much just two days ago when i was driving back home. The first thing you hit when you come out of any office during the peak evening hours of around 6pm is traffic jam. Who invented this word in which country, i don't know, but, I can bet that the word is most used in this city. That you have a 2-wheeler will help you overcome this misery to a slight extent though. The footpaths in Bengaluru are usually as wide as the road itself. You can take it that the road is too small or footpath is too wide. Both of them would be true on a case by case basis. Fortunately, it s a common practice that two wheelers are allowed to climb up and drive on footpaths. How nice. A few bike rally like moves and you are ahead of some 50 cars, auto rickshaws and buses. First hurdle overcome, hurrah!!
Because the people are battling this traffic jam, the next 200-500 meters after the next turn would usually be free. So you step up the speed to 100kmph and there you go. A big pothole right in the center of an otherwise 'o.k' road. Depending on how lucky you are the size of the pothole might vary from small to the ones which can cover half of your front wheel. Only the extra money you paid for few extra cc's in your bike's engine will help you lift your bike if you hit one of those. You then proceed thanking god for buying 180cc bike and not 150cc.
Then comes the real test of patience, the traffic jams could be overcome by some stunts, but, the trick wont work with signals. When i say, signals don't think of those green, red and yellow lights that your primary school teacher taught you. In Bengaluru terms, this means a cop standing in the middle of the road and allowing people to go in the directions purely based on his whims and fancies. Some times he keeps sending traffic in only one direction for 10 minutes that you just have to stand, stare and honk. Not that the automatic signals are any better. You ll have to endure three green signals in your direction to come near the stop line.
In all this process you have a laptop that you hang one sided over your shoulder falling either sides depending on the stunt you are performing at that point. After an hour of drive, you d realize that you haven't taken a single proper deep breath. That could be because someone is burning some waste stuff on the sidewalk, or the autorickshaw before you emanates too black an exhaust in too huge a quantity. In Aravind adiga terms, the smoke, smog, powder and cement dust just wont let you take a single deep breath and you ll be deprived of oxygen for sure when you reach home.
Some of this might seem overly exaggerated. I promise you, it is not. Every single thing that i have said is truly based on my personal experience and i ll defend to death the truth of this scenario. Where this city is heading, i have no idea! They keep constructing flyovers just to shift the jam from one junction to the next and in the process add to the smog and cement dust which is already not short out here! God save us and the city!
I don't know the global standards for time taken to cover a particular distance, however, in Bengaluru, it takes 1 hour to cover a distance of 15 kilometers. Mind you, this is the time taken in a two wheeler driven by a person who knows the in and out of the route. Based on the number of wheels in your vehicle, this time may increase by 50% or 100%. I had gotten used this fact long time ago and took it in my stride, consoling myself that the city is helping me develop the great virtue of patience. Slowly, but, steadily the city is pushing each of those who drive to the limits of this virtue.
I felt this so much just two days ago when i was driving back home. The first thing you hit when you come out of any office during the peak evening hours of around 6pm is traffic jam. Who invented this word in which country, i don't know, but, I can bet that the word is most used in this city. That you have a 2-wheeler will help you overcome this misery to a slight extent though. The footpaths in Bengaluru are usually as wide as the road itself. You can take it that the road is too small or footpath is too wide. Both of them would be true on a case by case basis. Fortunately, it s a common practice that two wheelers are allowed to climb up and drive on footpaths. How nice. A few bike rally like moves and you are ahead of some 50 cars, auto rickshaws and buses. First hurdle overcome, hurrah!!
Because the people are battling this traffic jam, the next 200-500 meters after the next turn would usually be free. So you step up the speed to 100kmph and there you go. A big pothole right in the center of an otherwise 'o.k' road. Depending on how lucky you are the size of the pothole might vary from small to the ones which can cover half of your front wheel. Only the extra money you paid for few extra cc's in your bike's engine will help you lift your bike if you hit one of those. You then proceed thanking god for buying 180cc bike and not 150cc.
Then comes the real test of patience, the traffic jams could be overcome by some stunts, but, the trick wont work with signals. When i say, signals don't think of those green, red and yellow lights that your primary school teacher taught you. In Bengaluru terms, this means a cop standing in the middle of the road and allowing people to go in the directions purely based on his whims and fancies. Some times he keeps sending traffic in only one direction for 10 minutes that you just have to stand, stare and honk. Not that the automatic signals are any better. You ll have to endure three green signals in your direction to come near the stop line.
In all this process you have a laptop that you hang one sided over your shoulder falling either sides depending on the stunt you are performing at that point. After an hour of drive, you d realize that you haven't taken a single proper deep breath. That could be because someone is burning some waste stuff on the sidewalk, or the autorickshaw before you emanates too black an exhaust in too huge a quantity. In Aravind adiga terms, the smoke, smog, powder and cement dust just wont let you take a single deep breath and you ll be deprived of oxygen for sure when you reach home.
Some of this might seem overly exaggerated. I promise you, it is not. Every single thing that i have said is truly based on my personal experience and i ll defend to death the truth of this scenario. Where this city is heading, i have no idea! They keep constructing flyovers just to shift the jam from one junction to the next and in the process add to the smog and cement dust which is already not short out here! God save us and the city!
3 comments:
:)... Mumbai is a lil worser...:)
biking in bangalore is awesome!!! its annoying.. strenuous.. yet great fun!!
and I think you take the intermediate ring road.. the description suits that road best!!
Dude, all my comments are honestly inspired by the great Old Madras Road. I am not sure if you were still in India to witness Bangalore post BBMP metro construction! Pre metro, it was still fun!
Post a Comment