That is a silly heading. If traffic were static, could it be traffic in the first place? But, given that sometimes the speed at which road traffic crawls in Delhi, one does come across what might be called “static traffic”. As a result, the premium dynamism fetches is reducing; it needs to be propped up. This post is about re-invigorating dynamism in Delhi traffic.
Those who complain about the indiscipline on Delhi roads do not understand. Delhi road users are a conscientious lot and traffic police have the best interests of the citizens in their mind. They are not motivated by selfishness. Perish the thought. They aim for a free, thinking and dynamic society where there is no room for fetters and conventional wisdom. They work to make the society a flourishing laboratory. I will make my case.
Discipline is for static societies. Indiscipline breeds dynamism, drives evolution, unshackles fetters. It rebels against unjust, discriminatory and backward looking laws and treats them with contempt. For example, why should sidewalks be earmarked for pedestrians? Why can two wheelers not ply on them or four wheelers parked on them overnight? It is not that only pedestrians pay taxes. Tackling such complex issues one must take recourse to the enterprising and dynamic nature of citizens of Delhi, including the police personnel.
Just imagine sticking to one traffic lane, as recommended/mandated. It is boring. A dynamic driver would rather zigzag to keep other road users on their toes. If defensive driving is recommended, as it is in most western countries and particularly in the US, this defense has to be against something – logic; zigzag merely to validate the requirement of the recommendation.
There is no room for sluggards. At an intersection, if everyone slowed down on seeing amber and stopped on seeing red, people would get a sense of security, but at the cost of freedom to do as you please. If you want to be safe, stop at green lights because you do not know whether a not-so-defensive driver will be crossing the intersection on red at full speed.
Wearing helmets and fastening seat belts are for sissies. Pedestrians are a macho lot and good hurdlers too. “Zebra” crossings are for the timid. Jaywalking should be the accepted norm. Traffic police understand this and hence what appears to be “looking-the-other-way”.
A wise man once said, “If you trade freedom for security, you deserve neither”. Delhi road users and traffic police subscribe to this profound idea. It is high time all of us did likewise.
On aesthetics, vehicle owners practice what they preach - calligraphy on their license plates. The same font and size of numbers in vehicle after vehicle leads to monotony and stunts growth. Vehicle owners do not stand for it. There is an additional desirable side effect. What about the enhanced functional literacy? One has to agree that it takes a higher level of literacy to understand calligraphy. Stop preaching virtues of uniformity.
One cannot find people who are more eco-friendly than Delhi car owners. They conserve fuel in so many ways; by folding the side view wing mirrors to reduce wind drag, by putting up dark or reflector glasses on their car windows to reduce the heat load on their air conditioners, by not stopping at red lights as start-stop driving is a wasteful practice. Does any ‘green’ appreciate these?
The traffic police are not far behind. You see solid yellow lines, solid white lines, and broken white lines on the right, left and middle or sometimes no lines at all on the roads, chevron boards of small size to tell you how the road is NOT turning that way, and you start to feel that there is no rhyme or reason. You do not understand. Traffic police want you to put on your thinking cap, figure out the logic of traffic markings and drive sanely. Driving has to be an interactive affair, they seem to say. Does any one appreciate the pro bono contribution of the police in raising the level of scientific temper in Delhi citizens?
You sometimes see signboards stating, “Delhi Traffic Police”, just to make sure you know who put it up. Do you know why? The police want you to take a hint and put up traffic signboards as you wish and, of course, mention prominently who put it up – a sort of citizens’ action plan; an awakening of the spirit of citizenship (if only traffic police is allowed to post sign-boards, why proclaim it?).
The public has gone proactive. Now, it is for the right of every RWA (Residents’ Welfare Association, for the uninitiated) to put up Himalayan, bone-crushing. Spondylitis-inducing speed breakers on neighborhood streets as it cannot control the red blooded scions of the houses in the neighborhood to slow down as they get out of their driveway.
The above is just a sample of what you experience on the roads of Delhi and to clear away any misunderstanding you may have about your fellow citizens, including the police. Do not blame road users or the police. Do not externalize your problems. It is not chaos on the roads; it is dynamism. Try to understand.
Make the rules as you drive – dynamism; only to break them when you stop!
I rest my case.
Raghuram Ekambaram
Those who complain about the indiscipline on Delhi roads do not understand. Delhi road users are a conscientious lot and traffic police have the best interests of the citizens in their mind. They are not motivated by selfishness. Perish the thought. They aim for a free, thinking and dynamic society where there is no room for fetters and conventional wisdom. They work to make the society a flourishing laboratory. I will make my case.
Discipline is for static societies. Indiscipline breeds dynamism, drives evolution, unshackles fetters. It rebels against unjust, discriminatory and backward looking laws and treats them with contempt. For example, why should sidewalks be earmarked for pedestrians? Why can two wheelers not ply on them or four wheelers parked on them overnight? It is not that only pedestrians pay taxes. Tackling such complex issues one must take recourse to the enterprising and dynamic nature of citizens of Delhi, including the police personnel.
Just imagine sticking to one traffic lane, as recommended/mandated. It is boring. A dynamic driver would rather zigzag to keep other road users on their toes. If defensive driving is recommended, as it is in most western countries and particularly in the US, this defense has to be against something – logic; zigzag merely to validate the requirement of the recommendation.
There is no room for sluggards. At an intersection, if everyone slowed down on seeing amber and stopped on seeing red, people would get a sense of security, but at the cost of freedom to do as you please. If you want to be safe, stop at green lights because you do not know whether a not-so-defensive driver will be crossing the intersection on red at full speed.
Wearing helmets and fastening seat belts are for sissies. Pedestrians are a macho lot and good hurdlers too. “Zebra” crossings are for the timid. Jaywalking should be the accepted norm. Traffic police understand this and hence what appears to be “looking-the-other-way”.
A wise man once said, “If you trade freedom for security, you deserve neither”. Delhi road users and traffic police subscribe to this profound idea. It is high time all of us did likewise.
On aesthetics, vehicle owners practice what they preach - calligraphy on their license plates. The same font and size of numbers in vehicle after vehicle leads to monotony and stunts growth. Vehicle owners do not stand for it. There is an additional desirable side effect. What about the enhanced functional literacy? One has to agree that it takes a higher level of literacy to understand calligraphy. Stop preaching virtues of uniformity.
One cannot find people who are more eco-friendly than Delhi car owners. They conserve fuel in so many ways; by folding the side view wing mirrors to reduce wind drag, by putting up dark or reflector glasses on their car windows to reduce the heat load on their air conditioners, by not stopping at red lights as start-stop driving is a wasteful practice. Does any ‘green’ appreciate these?
The traffic police are not far behind. You see solid yellow lines, solid white lines, and broken white lines on the right, left and middle or sometimes no lines at all on the roads, chevron boards of small size to tell you how the road is NOT turning that way, and you start to feel that there is no rhyme or reason. You do not understand. Traffic police want you to put on your thinking cap, figure out the logic of traffic markings and drive sanely. Driving has to be an interactive affair, they seem to say. Does any one appreciate the pro bono contribution of the police in raising the level of scientific temper in Delhi citizens?
You sometimes see signboards stating, “Delhi Traffic Police”, just to make sure you know who put it up. Do you know why? The police want you to take a hint and put up traffic signboards as you wish and, of course, mention prominently who put it up – a sort of citizens’ action plan; an awakening of the spirit of citizenship (if only traffic police is allowed to post sign-boards, why proclaim it?).
The public has gone proactive. Now, it is for the right of every RWA (Residents’ Welfare Association, for the uninitiated) to put up Himalayan, bone-crushing. Spondylitis-inducing speed breakers on neighborhood streets as it cannot control the red blooded scions of the houses in the neighborhood to slow down as they get out of their driveway.
The above is just a sample of what you experience on the roads of Delhi and to clear away any misunderstanding you may have about your fellow citizens, including the police. Do not blame road users or the police. Do not externalize your problems. It is not chaos on the roads; it is dynamism. Try to understand.
Make the rules as you drive – dynamism; only to break them when you stop!
I rest my case.
Raghuram Ekambaram
2 comments:
I remember the joke about a man who stood on the balcony of his house blessing all the people who passed by. When asked why he did it, he said, "When the bishop is in my bedroom doing my job, I should be doing his job, isn't it?"
Delhi people do what the traffic police, govt, PWD, and many others should do - like putting up humps...
That is a new side of you I came to know about, Matheikal!
"humps" in the second sentence connects to the first paragraph!
RE
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