Jam!

Traffic. It is one of the biggest nightmares of an Indian on the road – be it urban or semi-urban, any time of the day (or night). India’s burgeoning vehicles – two, three and four wheelers - and the poor infrastructure facilities to support this exodus makes travelling on Indian roads a true hell on earth.

The Indian roads are a mixed grill of vehicles and people. Both mingle and make room for each other. Some often get knocked – in most cases they shout at each other and go on with life. Some cases bring forth a crowd which will decide who is right and who is wrong (that happens a lot here!). Least of cases end up in the Police stations. A point to ponder – don’t pedestrians have rights too?

There are many ingredients that spice up the issue. Indians love to take their celebrations on to roads and mind you, there are as many of them as the sands of ocean. They often translate into processions – cultural, religious, educational etc. Needless to speak of the innumerable protest marches that send fits of anger followed by a lavish supply of tear gas and brandishing of the lathi. Plus, roads are closed for VIPs or when a VIP’s family member gets married with no notice what so ever.

Do we have plausible solutions to this growing problem as its related issues such as pollution, flouting of rules and in many a case encroachment, keep piling up?
A few unrealistic options:
1. the population should decrease ( unthinkable)
2. The number of vehicles should reduce ( no, vehicles unlike those days are no more a sign of luxury but more of utility among the Indian middle class)

Now the question points to those at the helm. For them a few options:
1. Improve public transport so that people will use them more? (Do-able?)
2. Invest in infrastructure? Fix fly over(s) where roads cannot be widened and widen roads where they can be? (development assistance from biggies will work here?)
3. Can we switch to eco-friendly vehicles?
4. Toll roads to avoid congestion?
5. Strict law enforcement?

The main challenge is in maintaining quality and accessibility, both. Metros offer a sigh of relief to daily commuters to and from work, but in many cases, reaching the metros from home town still remains a nagging issue.

According to a recent UN study, India has more cellular phones than toilets! Interesting to note our priorities eh? People can defecate anywhere; the homeless on the roads and near- homeless anywhere that is close by! Do we call this skewed priorities or something else?
India has a billion living heads and the roads are just a miniature representation of this mammoth problem. Unless there is a coordinated plan for each city, the Indian roads will continue to suffocate commuters and eat into their time, which they can spend in many happy and productive ways.

It is true that massive infrastructure development will put a country like India in deep peril as it might spark off many a sociological issue such as rehabilitation of businesses, livelihoods, homeless etc due to displacement and the resultant chaos. But it does not stop one from hoping that infrastructure development and investment;and better, accessible transport facilities get due attention in the next round of five year plans which is due in 2012.

Come on, this is a country spending millions on the (corruption-driven) Common Wealth Games – Can the tax payer have the basic facilities as well please?