8. Honk OK Please: traffic in India

To say we experienced a lot of traffic in India is putting it mildly. Our trip itinerary was such that we were on the go all of the time, either flying or being driven to our next destination. Before going I had no concept of how massive numbers of people got around in India… I knew the train system was extensive but that was something we were counseled not try on our short visit. In Lima Peru, commuters rely on 26,000 private micro-buses as there is no subway or light rail system so I had experienced major traffic congestion before …but nothing prepared me for Delhi or Mumbai! As I suspect is true in China, the rapid influx of car owners over the last twenty years has overtaxed India’s practically non-existent highway infrastructure. That, along with the Indian way of creatively interpreting traffic rules, made for some pretty interesting road drama. As a remnant of the British Raj, they drive on the left side of the road… sometimes. On numerous occasions while on the National Highway we would see a truck or van barreling towards us on “the wrong side of the road”. Our driver explained that the miscreant just didn’t want to drive an extra kilometer to get to the entrance to the westbound lane so they use the eastbound lane instead. Lanes are just a formality as well… a two lane portion of highway always had at least five or six vehicles across: a couple of cars, a truck, a camel or ox-driven cart, a moto-taxi and several mopeds or motorcycles, which ususally had the entire family on board (with the driver, the man, the only one with a helmet on ...hmmmm). There are signs advising drivers to stay in the lanes but no one takes any notice of them … there also signs on the backs of Moto-taxis warning that “spitting spreads TB” but that’s another story!

So what was the deal with the “Honk Ok Please” bumper stickers on the trucks? When passing another vehicle in the lane you have made for yourself, you honk to let the driver know you are passing him. Needless to say, the cacophony of honking is endless and pervasive, especially in the cities. The only time we didn’t hear traffic (even in those nice luxury hotels) was in the middle of the night. The noise pollution is only second to the air pollution, which we noticed immediately upon our arrival at the Delhi airport at midnight. Engine exhaust mixed with wood and coal smoke as well as raw sewage makes quite the olfactory cocktail!
Another interesting observation on the road in India: I could count on one hand the number of women drivers I saw. While we were travelling, females (except in the airports) were well-hidden, unless they were of a lower caste or school children. Middle and upper class men and woman don’t necessarily drive themselves, in part because driving is considered a lower caste occupation and also because it is really, really hard to drive in India, especially in the big cities. In Delhi there is no rhyme or reason to the street traffic and there are no discernable street signs or logical directions to sites. Our driver from Agra had to ask several times for directions to the restaurant, Karim’s, in old Delhi and only after circling the area several times did we find where we could walk to the location. Parking in the city is also a chore, which is why you hire a driver to wait for you.
Coming back to well-mannered Minnesotan driving was an adjustment. I can’t imagine using my horn here except in dire circumstances and heaven forbid that someone would create another, unsanctioned, lane of traffic! Unheard of --even in California or Boston!