JOIN USBengaluru's traffic nightmares - the six culprits
November 19 was a nightmare for Bengaluru's commuters. Other than the fact that it was Monday morning, a farmers' protest march near Freedom Park created a dominoes' effect, sending the entire city traffic into a tizzy. The jams brought out the worst in several commuters (the stress might have evoked a fight or flight situation) which at some places worsened the jams.
DH lists out six types of road-users who consciously or unconsciously (unfortunately) add to the city’s traffic snarls:
1. Those who shift lanes with such flexibility that even a gymnast would be envious of them. Who said that they cannot take the right turn while being on the extreme left of the road? Does it create a traffic snarl? If so, too bad for others. Because nobody can stop them from taking that turn. Reminds me of a chicken crossing the road.
2. Dear chatters who park vehicles on the side of an already jammed road, because a phone call is more important than others reaching their destinations. We wonder if this has happened to them as well when they need to get to a destination, but someone is busy chatting on their phone ahead of them. Wake-up call!
3. Even worse are the road-users who talk on their phones while driving/riding/crossing roads. As they animatedly speak on their phones, they forget that there are other commuters. Maybe we could give them a call to let them know!
4. Direction blinkers are for dummies! 'We don't reveal our plans beforehand' said the driver who took a right turn out of the blue, sending the vehicles behind him to hit their brakes for dear life.
5. The two-wheelers who will just squeeze into a small space, because they can. Scratches on your vehicle, lane-shifting, troubled pedestrians, irate fellow commuters honking at them: nothing deters them. Life is a race, remember? And they are just trying to get ahead of you.
6. Empty autos who trail on the side of the roads because, customers! Whom they will refuse, anyway. But meanwhile, no traffic snarls will keep them from riding the way they want to.
Cherry on top: people who park on busy streets with limited parking with such dexterity that even pedestrians find it hard to navigate their way onto the pavement.