Every time I go on the road, I see so much traffic, dust, pollution…… I have had the opportunity to spend three years in USA. I find roads in New Delhi wider than those in New York. And going by the newer expressways coming up in India, agencies think that wide roads is the answer! But no matter how wide the roads are, traffic jams and chaos are common site in India. There are multiple reasons for this and a difficult one to solve.
First, the mix of traffic- buses, trucks, cars, three wheelers,
two wheelers, cycling, and pedestrians – all are trying to go FIRST. Yes every one is in hurry! A two lane road turns into a five lane if
there is a blockage. Second, poor driving licensing infrastructure. One can get a driving license without appearing
for a driving test. So there is no need
of a training/driving school.
How to solve this mess? There are two ways to do this. One is the long traditional way. Let’s talk about this first. The government should make the licensing and
law enforcing agencies stronger. There is a need to open driving schools to
teach driving, respect other road users, understand signage, etc. In many
cases, design of the road, missing road signs/lane markings, are culprit. So it has to be a multi pronged strategy. People need to be sensitized through various
mediums like print, TV, and social.
Sound almost impossible, right? These days many challenges are tackled though
‘technology’. You name it there is a
solution for everything – banking, start ups, AI, consumer behavior, blah,
blah. I would love if the traffic problem
can be solved by a silver bullet called technology. If there can be a way which ensures that
drivers stick to there respective lanes, this one thing can cut 50% of the
traffic mess in India. Can anyone do
this?
