Bangalore Traffic - Who is to blame!

On seeing the pitiable state of traffic conditions in Bangalore, I am one of the many Bangaloreans waiting for a revival! During my trips to the most developed countries of the world I always used to think how I could contribute to make my country like those. Below is a list of ideas which I believe could bring a change for our city.

Attitude of Driving – Indians have a tendency to complain about the country that nothing seems to change in India. Little do they understand that only if the people change (we ourselves) India could ever change. It is very evident in the way we drive. We do not care to obey traffic lights and force ourselves to obey only if a cop is found on sight. We never follow lane discipline; We flock together on the road like cattle out of the cattle shed. We honk too much and yell at each other often. We use mobile phones while driving. We never wait for another vehicle to pass at intersections. We stop right in the middle of the road to alight. We park at no parking zones and sometimes park the wrong way.

Well, the list goes on and on. Now if you review the last paragraph it’s not the vehicles that are causing the issue, it’s the drivers! The so called “Responsible citizens of India”. I call it the WSI (Why Should I) phenomenon where people are concerned about themselves and when it comes to the well being of others or the country they simply think “Why Should I”. I strongly feel that the attitude of people should change. We need to inculcate the sense of order and discipline. If they object it needs to be forced or else we would end up in a pile of rugs worse than how we are now.

The solution would be to create awareness through television ads like the ones for AIDS & condoms and also hoarding, flyers etc. People should know what they do is wrong at least after seeing these. I always think about how an Indian father cannot stand to see his daughter talking to a boy on the road alone, thinking it’s a shame to the family heritage. The same father wouldn’t mind jumping traffic lights not knowing it’s a shame to his mother-land. The concepts of the awareness ads should be designed in such a way that people get the point straight on their head!

Responsibilities of the Traffic Police – I always feel pity on the police officers standing in the sun and struggling to control the traffic. But I generally find lethargy in almost all the police officers. They don’t seem to go that extra-mile! The best example is at the KR Puram bridge adjoining the Royal Heritage apartments. There is a pretty large bus stop bay with bus shelters. None of the buses enter into the bay instead stop at the middle of the road causing havoc. The bus stop bay is currently being used as a taxi stand. Isn’t pathetic? I know that there are many traffic cops around that area who don’t mind this and sit and watch the traffic getting strangled. It’s high time for the police department to conduct awareness classes to the traffic cops stressing their responsibilities as a responsible citizen of India.

Innovations from Governing bodies – Innovation is doing things in a unique and faster way! I always used to think if only we could find a better solution to parking, half of our traffic problems could be solved. I remember reading a forward email about a parking innovation where there is a huge steel tower erected which could house around 10-15 vehicles in each row. The circumference of these parking slots is incredibly small and can be stalled at a very small area. Imagine we having something like these on every road and there are no vehicles parked on the road! I don’t know the logistics of making this possible but innovations like these would certainly help us in many ways. The government could setup a panel to research on innovations and in turn the panel could come up with attractive prizes for citizens coming up with ideas to traffic clogs. In this way everyone can contribute to solve the issues as a whole.

Citizen’s Responsibilities – Every time I spot a person spitting on the road, I feel pity for our motherland to have children who spit on her. It’s very typical in our country where people can do just anything on the road. They walk on the road, a few who live, some who sleep and many who do business! Commercial street, infantry road are the best examples where people don’t care walking on the road obstructing the traffic. Another example is Residency road near Bishop Cotton boys school where there is a skyway built for pedestrians to cross the road. None of them use it instead walk across the road. Traffic rules should be made compulsory even for pedestrians and again it is the duty of the governing bodies to enforce it. I believe awareness programs, tv ads, hoardings etc could take the message to the people. It should be added to the curriculum so that children adhere to it when they grow up.

To summarize, we need to change for the country to change. Take my word, even if our roads get 5 times wider and our attitude doesn’t change we still would be running into the same issues we are facing now. I am worried about the many learned westernized software professionals who do not care to obey traffic rules. If literacy couldn’t mould us any better I can’t think of anything else that can change us. It’s high time we understand our responsibilities and act fast. Instead of trying hard for a visa to live a cozy life abroad why can’t we transform our motherland and stay here proudly!