Reevaluating driving comfort

Driving pleasure @ Bangalore City

I am writing this from 20yrs of driving experience and real wide range of vehicles (BMW to Nano). I am trying to reevaluate / explore best (convenient) way of commuting in Bangalore on a daily basis for all practical purpose. In turn, exploring the meaning of driving convenience for Bangalore. Reason being, earlier I regularly drove my SUV everywhere, later when I moved to hatch, I almost refused to go back to suv and now I find bike to be the best medium.

If you are a daily commuter then I am sure you would understand the pain points, which I need not highlight.

Assuming, you are driving yourself and your commute does consist of heavy peak hour Bangalore traffic.

• Fuel efficient : for smoother wallet
• Small turning radius for U turns : U turns being inevitable in Bangalore
• Easy public parking: Most general places lack proper parking places
• Quick Overtaking: With all kinds of vehicles on road, you need it all the time.
• Relaxed driving / Alertness: Has the vehicle anything to do with alertness. Yes one needs to be more alert when driving SUV than a bike.
• Respect: Sure, that's one reason people drive expensive cars around city while they have others lined up.
• Safety: At the end of the day one wants to be safe home.

Bangalore traffic - a Perspective

Bangalore – the city that mesmerizes people by its beautiful gardens and weather … and maybe unintentionally spices up lives of people on the roads, is the city I live in. I have been here for more than three years now, and now I think I have a better understanding of quirks of this city.


Many people would have a list of their pet peeves against the Bangalore traffic, mine is a list of points which reminds me that there can be no other city like this:


1. The magical One-Ways: It’s like Alice’s wonderland … one slip of foot, and you keep going deeper into the rabbit hole…one one-way leading you to another and so on and so forth. The journey may unfold sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant scenarios

You are liable for your own safety

When you are on Indian roads, people generally have a tendency - The other will stop for me. Indian specially  are big risk takers when on road. Remember when on road, you are liable for your own safety. You need to constantly be aware of  traffic - driver psychology and vehicular/ road condition and take proactive steps.
Check this truck out in below pic on bangalore roads (Varthur road) .

With knife like pointed rods coming out of the truck. If traffic behind it is not careful of length of rods judgement. They may bump into these. It is not easy to make out the length of these rods at first. And what if you are changing lanes .....!!

Road safety – what can I do?

I was talking to my brother the other day, and he stated talking about road safety and how he felt something should be done about it. My immediate response was – Well… road safety … umm… there is nothing much you can do about it …. Most of the people in Bangalore are educated people and hence giving them information about rules and safety measures may not give you the desired results.

My brother said – this is exactly the point – most of the Bangaloreans are well educated people, and still we have one of the worst traffic and accident statistics. Well… I said… there is a simple reason for that – the road infrastructure in Bangalore does not support the increasing number of vehicles on road… hence the accidents.

Road Rage - Bengaluru?

Every fast paced growing city has its own problems. One of the problems include road rage. In Bangalore road rage is on a high.With new villages coming under the category of town, the villagers have got money but not regular work. With the absence of good regular paid work, people are swayed by high testosterone.

Helmet On Head - Safety or Just Another Traffic Rule

Being an everyday rider, I understand the importance of safety on bike. In bangalore wearing a helmet by the rider is compulsory, if not fine is imposed. But if you notice on bangalore roads ( more than 50% traffic consists of motor bikes), the riders just wear the helmet for the sake of it, just to avoid traffic fines. The straps are open. Hence wearing one is absolutely useless and is like wearing nothing.

So next time you are riding with HELMET STRAP OPEN , like below,

then its like wearing this.

Next time ensure to correctly tighten the straps

www.safemovingtraffic.in

How Difficult Is It To Follow Traffic Rules?

In US and other developed countries, 90% people follow lane discipline. In general, most people follow traffic rules. If you have been a driver in both worlds (developed/developing), you would find dramatic differences.
 In India, people do not either know the rules or do not care about them. They work on the symptom 'me first -I am smart'.
When you are on road, free space, empty red light crossing are all temptations to the above symptom. They give into this temptation to jump a red light all the time without realizing the repercussions.
'There is space for taking U turn, and my bike can go, then I will simply take it'.'I don't care what rules says, who's there to watch.'

Here is an attempt to educate the people.

http://safemovingtraffic.in/