Self adjusting Traffic - Miracle on Roads

According to studies, people are afraid of public speaking, more than the fear of death. Thanks to Toastmasters. I'm not afraid of public speaking. But, I was afraid to drive on Indian roads. Uneven roads, rash drivers, congested traffic, dysfunctional signals, worn-out sign boards, pedestrians all over the road scared the hell out of me. How am I going to drive a car in India? It sounded like a million dollar question to me.

Also read: Shared van/shuttle services in Chennai - hard to find!?

The few days of traffic lessons that I took early in the morning (at 6.30 am), wasn't helpful at all. It was like getting trained in your house's stair case to climb Mt. Everest.  Roads are almost empty, at 6.30 am. There is only a few vehicles and countable pedestrians on the road. However, during the peak hour, there is hardly any space for even bicycles to move around - let alone a car.

Driving the car from the dealership to home was a nerve-wracking experience. It is still fresh in my memories. There were motorbikes, bicyclists and cars all around my car. There was just 1 inch gap between my car and other vehicles. I wasn't sure if I would be able to take the car home, without a dent. The car stopped at least 5 times in the short ride from the dealership to home. You can imagine the number of honks I would've got. I was sweating inside the car (though the AC was turned-on). Heart was beating fast and I could sense the adrenaline gush. I managed to successfully get the car to the home. (Also read: Brought a new car - Maruti Swift Dzire)

After reaching home, getting the car on the ramp to the parking lot was another comical experience. The car stopped in the middle of the ramp. I had to wait for the road traffic to clear to come back to the road, from the ramp. I had to do this a couple of times before successfully getting the car on the parking lot.

Considering the fact that I drive the vehicle in city interiors 80% of the times, I should've gone  for a car with automatic gears. In the 30 minutes commute to work, I had to change gears at least 50 times. Changing gears isn't difficult, but pressing the clutch was. With bumber-to-bumper traffic on the road, you should be an adroit driver. A vehicle that stops on the road isn't treated  courteously by other drivers. The honks from all the vehicles will drive you nuts. I started going to work very early & returned home early to avoid traffic.

Also read: Talking on mobiles when driving is prohibited in India

It took me exactly 3 days to get comfortable with the Indian roads. When you drive the 1000 Kg iron on the road, the traffic gets self-adjusted. Way gets created for you automatically. You have to see it to believe it. Though we don't "study" traffic rules, there are lots of "unwritten" rules that we learn through experience.

• On seeing a car, pedestrians move to the curb, 2 wheelers driving on the middle of the road go to the sides. If they don't, then you should :-)
• Car/Truck drivers need to just focus on the front. The side/rear traffic would automatically get adjusted to your moves.
• In a street where only an autorickshaw can go, a car can squeeze through. At times, a huge truck can also go through. Parked vehicles along the road side gets moved, road side shops/carts are moved to create way. A friend of mine managed to go from one end of "Ritchie Street" to another end, in his Honda City, on a busy day. It is hard to imagine, how someone can do that.
• When there is a traffic jam, volunteers pop-up from the street corners. Most of the times, it is the autorickshaw wallahs, who play the traffic regulators role when there is a traffic jam or an accident on the interior streets. In general, the citizens are very co-operative for large vehicles (cars/trucks/buses etc.,). They help you create space/way when you are stuck - especially when you are driving a brand new/hi-fi car, or if you are a lady driver, or if you are dressed-up well.
• People don't expect a "flooded" sign-board when there is a pool of water on the road side :)
• Even when someone parks the car in the middle of the road, the traffic finds its way around the parked car. 
• Emergency vehicles manage to get through congested roads & crowded streets (of course, with some delay)
• When you see a passive driver in front of you, you should become aggressive & when you see an aggressive driver behind you, you should become passive
• Everyone on the road stays alert (pedestrian, 2-wheeler, car/truck/bus drivers etc.,)
• Everyone have to cover/secure their base, by staying alert
• Meaning of signals:

              Green - Take turns or move forward with some attention
              Yellow - Take turns or move forward very carefully
              Red - Take turns or move forward very very carefully

Vehicles cruising through our roads in India is indeed a magic. I'm still enthralled by the way in which traffic moves everyday. But, I can proudly say that I'm a certified Indian driver now.

Also read:

Heavy Rain made Chennai into Venice 
Driving on Indian roads - Pleasure or Pain?  

Heavy Rain turned Chennai to Venice

"Rain rain go away... come again another day!". My daughter sang this rhyme passionately for the last several days, standing at our door steps and staring at the rain. The continuous rains, in the last 1 week, turned the whole city upside down.

In the past, I have seen/experienced several such rains in Chennai, as a pedestrian. Several years ago, I was once hit by a motorist & I fell into a pool of stagnating water along the road side.

This is my first rain experience as a motorist, in Chennai. So, the experiences are much more interesting. The following are some after effects of the heavy rains in Chennai:

1) There is water everywhere - along the sides of the road, in subways, inside houses, and at times, filling an entire street. This causes hardships to motorists and pedestrians.

2) The flow of water & the moving vehicular traffic has created pot holes in almost all the roads. For the past few days, my two wheeler drive is really hurting my back, because of the bumpy roads.

3) Rain water gets splashed at you, by vehicles that move along your sides and on to your front. You should definitely wear a rain coat or a jacket, not just to escape from the rains but also to escape from the water splashed by these vehicles. Yesterday morning I saw a shocking incident on the road. A moving car splashed a pool of water on a bicyclist. The bicyclist had a folded umbrella in his hand. He banged the umbrella heavily on the car and created a huge dent. The car didn't stop. First of all, the car driver should've slowed down on seeing a pool of stagnating water. Second of all, the bicyclist shouldn't have got so much anger. I'm sure the bicyclist caused atleast a few thousand rupees damage to the car.

4) Government did a good job of cleaning up the 'coovum' river, a couple of weeks before the rain. However, the tons of garbage taken out of 'coovum' river still lies on the road, in some areas. They haven't disposed/cleaned them up. So, due to the heavy rains, the garbage is again going back to the 'coovum' river.

5) Storm water drains are constructed in several parts of the city. I live in Choolaimedu and the rain water quickly drains in a few minutes. I don't see water stagnated in any of the nearby areas. However, I heard that some places in Velachery are terribly hit by the stagnant water.

Some folks are concerned because the growing real estate industry has converted several small lakes & pools into residential communities. Hence the rain water is entering the city's streets, instead of getting stored in designated locations.

I'm not sure how long it would take for India to build an infrastructure that is comparable to the developed nations. Definitely, miles to go... Until then, Chennai's residents can enjoy their free Venice trip experience.

Also read:

Driving on Indian roads - Pleasure or Pain?    

Two Wheeler Service Experience

Getting two wheeler driving license in India - My Experience

What does it take to get a two-wheeler driving license? How much fees do we have to pay? How long does it take to get a two-wheeler driving license? What should you practice to clear the driving test? The thought of even going to an RTO office would make people nervous - Hours of waiting under hot sun, inefficient processes, lousy work flow, lethargic employees, and the driving inspectors who think they are GOD. Each one of us, holding an Indian driving license, would definitely have a story to share. Here is mine. I'm going to share with you, my experience at the RTO office in Virugambakkam, Chennai.

I went to a nearby driving school (Anish Driving School) to apply for my two wheeler driving license. They charged me Rs.850. They asked me to show up on a Tuesday at the RTO office to get a Learners License Registration permit (also called as LLR). You need to show your identity/address proof to get the learners license. I spent nearly 3+ hours at the RTO office to just get an LLR.

I got my new Honda Aviator in August (3 months after I got my LLR). I started to learn driving with that. I have been using my scooter mostly for my daily commute to work. I wouldn't consider myself as an expert driver - but, I drive decent enough to maneuver through the Indian roads. I decided to take the driving test before my LLR expires. So, I scheduled my driving test for this week. I was asked to show up at the driving school by 8.45 am.

I went to the driving school, sharp by 8.45 am. However, the folks at the driving school were busy processing some last minute application forms. So, we left the driving school to the RTO office only by 9.30 am. I had to wait nearly for an hour outside the RTO office, under the hot sun. There is no shelter or place to sit outside the RTO office in Virugambakkam, Chennai. It is such a busy area with lots of shops & the road was crowded. Around 10.30 am, the driving school master came out of the RTO office, with a bunch of application forms, after paying the fees. He then asked us to assemble behind the Koyambedu Market for the driving test.

Two wheeler driving is typically self-learned. No body teaches for you. For the first time ever, my driving school master told us the rules of the driving test & asked us to go and practice for a while. We all rushed to the place behind the Koyambedu market, where the driving test was supposed to happen. Folks were lining up for their practice session, with lots of excitement & nervousness. It had rained in the morning. So, the area was exorbitantly sticky with vegetable wastes from the market. Some of the scooters even skidded, when the students were practicing there. All of us were seriously practicing to do an "8", with the two wheeler. It was like doing last minute preparations outside the exam hall. I had spent some significant time practicing over the weekend and today morning. So, I was confident enough.

The RTO inspector came to the spot at about 11.30 am. All of us parked our vehicles and watched him seriously. I have heard horror stories about RTO inspectors. They normally shout at people and some of them even throw the application forms on to your face. But the RTO inspector who came to the spot today treated us with some respect. He was patiently explaining the rules. Surprisingly, I didn't have much nervousness and there was no adrenaline rush. I did my "8" without any issues and I couldn't believe that I've CLEARED the driving test. I had to wait till all the other 20 folks completed their "8"s and some 10 folks to complete their car driving test. At 12.15 pm, we were asked to go back to the RTO office, for the photo shoot. We waited there for nearly an hour. Our driving school master came up with the application forms and asked us to stand in line for the photo shoot. All of us took photo shots and waited for another 30 minutes. We got our driving license (without lamination) and we had to stand in another queue to submit the same after verification. By the time the whole process was over, it was 1.45 pm.

We spent nearly 5 hours to get the driving license - though our presence was ACTUALLY needed only for 5 minutes (2 minutes to take the driving test + 2 minutes to appear for the photo shoot + 1 minute to verify the license). It looks like none of the processes/work flow has been automated. There is lots of places to fill/sign in the application.They collected nearly 5 passport size photos (3 during the LLR & 2 before the driving test). There is still bodies with ledgers, behind the counters. I saw computers only in the room where they took photo shots.

On an average, I believe at least 100 folks visit the RTO office in a given day. If each of them have to spend 5 hours (instead of 5 minutes), we are nearly wasting 20 man days everyday in a RTO office. If there are 10 such offices in Chennai, then we are wasting nearly 200 man days, everyday in just Chennai alone. Imagine how much time is wasted in waiting in RTO offices throughout India on a given day. Moreover, waiting in the RTO office really creates frustration. Since visiting RTO office is not an everyday affair, people & the government are not caring about it much. However, in countries like USA, the whole process will be completed in just 30 minutes. Getting a driving license in India isn't painful, but waiting in the queues really is. I wish government does something to minimize the waiting time in RTO offices. [Also read: Corruption free Chennai West RTO office]

I had taken some videos of the driving tests from my mobile. This should give an idea of what is expected from people during a two-wheeler driving test. 

Also read:  

Driving on Indian roads - Pleasure or Pain?    

Two Wheeler Service Experience

Heavy Rain made Chennai into Venice

Two wheeler service - Can't escape from those long lines and hours of waiting

I spent nearly 2+ hours this week to get my new Honda Aviator serviced (Note: This is just the drop-off & pick-up time. Doesn't include the time taken to service the vehicle). I've read from forums that Honda Service in India, is pretty bad. I went through that experience for the first time. Here is how the story goes.

This week, my Honda Aviator said it is ready for its first service. I called JSP Honda on Saturday and they recommended me to bring the vehicle on a week day. I decided to take my vehicle on Monday morning right when they open, so that, I can avoid a long queue. I reached the service station sharp at 7.30 am. To my surprise, there were about 30 other folks, waiting with their 2 wheelers, already. Also, the place in which the customers were asked to line up with their vehicles was very untidy and unhygienic. There were broken bottles, piles of trash including worn out sleeping mats, and some smell of urine. I don't know why nobody whined about the pathetic condition of that place.

The service engineers(?), came with their notepads at about 7.45 am. They started taking down details related to the vehicle and the service requirements, from the waiting customers. By the time my turn came, it was about 8.15 am. I finished the formalities and handed over my vehicle key to the service engineer. I wanted to complain regarding the untidy state of the location in which the customers have to wait, to handover their vehicles. Unfortunately, none of the administrative staff were available that early in the morning. So, I came out and took a share auto to work. I spent about 1 hour to just leave my vehicle for service.

In the evening, I got a call from a lady rep saying that my vehicle was ready for pick-up. I went to the service center by 5.30 pm. I was told that my 'paper work' is not ready and I was asked to wait. While I was waiting, I met the Service Center Manager and complained to him regarding the unhygienic condition of the location where the vehicles are 'received' from the customer. I also filled a formal 'complaint' form and handed it over to him. He appreciated the feedback and told that necessary action will be taken. I'm hoping that the facility will be clean when I go for my next service. It took another 30 minutes for my paper work to be available. I was charged Rs.150 for the first service (though it is technically free, but they charge for oil and other things). I had reported about 3 issues in the morning. I asked the person in the counter regarding the status of the 3 issues that I reported. The response was "most likely the issues would've been fixed, Sir! Otherwise, they would've made a note in the report". It took me an hour to get my vehicle and leave.

I hadn't owned any vehicle previously, in India. So, I was quite surprised with the amount of time someone has to spend in the service center just to drop the vehicle & pick it up from service. Hopefully, somebody will minimize the waiting time in the service centers with a magic wand.

Also read:

Got the two wheeler driving license - after hours of waiting

Driving on Indian roads - Pleasure or Pain?

I postponed my decision to buy a car until I get some good road sense and gain some experience on the Indian roads. I bought my Honda Aviator, 3 weeks ago. This is the third vehicle that I'm owning. My first vehicle was the bicycle that I got during my high school days. Second vehicle was the Honda Accord, that I owned during my stay in US.

Also read: Shared van/shuttle services in Chennai - hard to find!?

Honda Aviator is very cool. It is stylish, has more leg space and is well suited for tall guys like me. It is also good at shock absorption (apt for Indian roads). I'm obsessed about dark/bright colors and I chose a red colored vehicle. I decided to buy the Honda Aviator model for 3 reasons - I don't have experience driving geared vehicles, I needed more leg space and there was a 2 months wait time to buy a Honda Activa (cannot wait that long!).

I bought this scooter as if I was buying a soap bar at a grocery store. I went to the shop, looked at the scooter and wrote a cheque. My benign attempt to negotiate the price proved to be futile. Well, all the skills that I picked-up during my masters & in sales training faltered. My urge to buy the scooter was higher than the dealer's urge to sell.

Also read: Self-adjusting traffic - a miracle on Indian Roads

I don't have prior driving experience on Indian roads. So, I've been learning quite a few interesting lessons about driving on Indian roads. You can see them below:

1. You cannot avoid an accident if YOU alone drive carefully.. others also should
2. People don't treat traffic signs/signals as RULES. They are treated as GUIDELINES
3. Don't tail gate autos/cars. They may avoid a pit/bump on the road & you cannot
4. Crossing or taking turns during the first few minutes of a signal change or during the last few minutes of the signal change may be dangerous
5. Survival of the fittest holds good (You need to master the art of driving through even inches of gap between vehicles)
6. You cannot avoid honking or getting honked
7. At times, pedestrians have right of way & at times they don't (It actually depends on the driver)
8. Your indicator light signals are typically ignored (When you turn-on a "right-side" indicator, the person coming behind on your right will not slow down or give you way)
9. Expect vehicles from the opposite direction in one-way roads
10. There is no real speed limit in any of the roads. Use your intuition

Driving on Indian roads is definitely not a pleasure. I'll continue to update this list as and when I learn new things :)


Also read:


Got the two-wheeler driving license - after hours of waiting
Two wheeler service - Can't escape from those long lines and hours of waiting
Heavy Rain made Chennai into Venice