The Brave Indian Pedestrian

The man might have been in his sixties. The road adjacent to my apartment is probably eight to ten metres wide. He stood right in the middle of the road on the dividing line looking at vehicles on both sides, helplessly. I walked out of the apartment into the departmental store attached to the building, purchased what I had to and returned to find the old man rooted to the same point, looking helpless. The purchase should have taken a good two to three minutes at most.
This is what most pedestrians in the city are put through when they cross the road.

Most drivers show no hint of respect to the pedestrian (does the pedestrian show any to the driver?) Why does that happen? (Please, don't blame it on the population of our country) I ponder over the question and that teaches me a way of classifying drivers.
This classification is based on reactions of drivers when interviewed, predicted by my cognition. Here are some answers to queries on momentary feelings on spotting a pedestrian waiting to cross the road.

Type 1 : "I don't stop for the pedestrians to cross the road, I need to reach my destination quickly. Wait, I don't really see a pedestrian until he comes before my vehicle and I don't want to get into a murder case."
It is bereaving that a majority of the drivers are under this category. The 'man crossing the road' saw many of them pass by in his brief ordeal in the middle of the road, so did I from the safe end.

Type 2 : "Yes, I notice a pedestrian waiting to cross the road. I don't stop though, because no one else does. Why should I stop when they don't? So that the vehicle behind hits mine? Let her/him cross after all the the vehicles pass by. Moreover, I am in a hurry."
If similar kinds were to be grouped, here we have the second largest group. Although different from Type 1 in mentality, the outcome is the same. The 'man crossing the road' is still stranded.

Type 3 : “I can very well see her/him waiting in distress to cross the road. I try to pause and let her/him go. However sometimes…I just don’t know why, I can’t get myself to stop.”

‘Oh sad’ and only two words of sympathy. This is the kind, that shows hope, that brakes, but never really reaches zero velocity. The man is still stranded, prefers suicide to the indefinite wait and puts a foot forward when he meets Type 4.

Type 4 : “Oh no! A pedestrian caught in the middle of the road? I would let her/him cross any day.  You see.. I’ve been there.. I know the feeling plus it’s a compromise on safety”

The man is pleased. He crosses the road (with a smile when he meets the kind first or disparaged after a long wait). This kind is least seen on our roads.

Oh the shop is on the other side? Lets cross here.

An Indian pedestrian comes across such a variety of mindsets while crossing the road. There are not many crossing junctions in the city. The pedestrian in most cases is left with no other option, but to brave the oncoming traffic. Pedestrians here, have trained themselves that way. 

You don't everywhere come across Zebra crossing lines in the city and where you do, the vehicles cover it. ("I will still follow the rule"?) The only option then, is to walk over the vehicles.

Not many of us here actually know how the Zebra crossing system works. The Highway Code says that motorists MUST give way to the pedestrian when someone has moved onto a crossing (Courtesy : devon.gov.uk). When I accidentally took to the road in a street in Toronto, an approaching motorist stopped his vehicle at the first sight of me, a good ten feet away. We exchanged glances, the motorist was probably wondering, "Oh that was close!" and I, the opposite. The local pedestrian there knows, that is how it works and she/he realises her/his duty, crosses only in crossing junctions. It is an understanding that other countries can only think about, that we have with motorists while crossing the road because the flaw here lies not just with the motorist, but the pedestrian too.

The green man walks when the vehicle signal goes red

The Zebra crossing system hasn't made pedestrian crossing much easier in our place.

The only crossing system that works well is the Pelican Crossing (Green Man Crossing) system. The system requires a more expensive set up than the Zebra crossing and hence isn't found on all roads. 

I'm sure every Indian pedestrian is relieved on spotting the Green Man.


The solution to the pedestrian problems : A change in mindset and better discipline, both among the drivers and the pedestrians, because honking past a pedestrian is no heroic act and the pedestrian must use his senses while crossing, better pedestrian crossing infrastructure and awareness among people regarding the same. Not everyone would understand Pelican Crossing panels (consists of a button that registers a pedestrian waiting to cross the road and adjusts the traffic signals accordingly) until educated about it (or even unless it is set up here). The pedestrian must use the Zebra crossing wherever possible and motorists must brake completely before the pedestrian. When stranded in the middle of the road, one must make a conscious effort to signal her/his presence when vehicles don't stop. 

The Indian pedestrian settles for the chaotic crossing experience and that must not be the case. Why settle for the helter-skelter everyday experience? In fact, all it takes is just a little to follow the rule and that can create a difference for the better.

Make way!

Brief description of a typical traffic situation in Chennai :
The auto misses your vehicle by an inch, the bus driver decides not to brake despite the signal turning red, vehicles move slowly like a herd of sheep even when the signal suggests braking. Pedestrians lose their temper and try to stop your vehicle in order that they can cross the road, and you decide not to stop and honk your way past them. An overdose of relentless honking accompanied by high pollution levels is common.
"Make way for me" is the underlying theme that describes the Chennai traffic.

There are well established traffic rules in Chennai like in any other big city. However, following the rules is too mainstream for Chennaites. What do they do? Break the rules, create problems and find solutions for the same. It is the sort of situation that can be avoided by merely following the rules.

A typical Chennai traffic situation. Rules followed? Vehicles close enough.

Lanes? We haven't heard of them in Chennai. Heavy vehicles and two wheelers use the same line of traffic. The concept of driving in lanes hasn't arrived here yet (or have we gone beyond the concept?). The absence of lanes doesn't bother Chennaites. They are 'street-smart' in the literal sense.
The main culprits(?) of the situation are the auto drivers. These men are known for their perfectly-judged filling of every possible gap on the road. They see them as voids, cavities that need to be filled. The auto right in front of the 'blue bus' (see image) describes this situation clearly. He fits his vehicle in a position which restricts his movement in all directions unless the vehicles beside move.
Owner-driven cars are the most vulnerable, the ones who complain the most about the traffic and score less in street-smartness.
The ones on the bike, much to the envy of the car drivers, maneuver their small vehicles with ease through a path that would lead them as close as possible to the signal.
Amidst all chaos, lies an understanding between the drivers, in which lies the solution to the problem created by the disorder. A visitor from overseas would describe the above picture as a depiction of a panic situation. It however isn't one and an Indian knows it.

T Nagar is one area infamous for its traffic. One does not simply cross at the signal in T Nagar. During the festive season, vehicles line up (crowd up?) till the beginning of Pondy Bazaar. It is an undying passion to shop at T Nagar that causes one to risk this one hell of a traffic. The 'uncle from next door' described his experience in T Nagar the other day. He waited behind a car for minutes, only to later realise that the car before him had halted and the driver had no intentions of moving. The perfect camouflage of the parked car had the 'uncle from next door' assuming the car would move sometime.
What follows from Pondy Bazaar is an amazingly straight stretch of traffic congestion. The stretch contains an exceedingly large number of alarmingly over-crowded share autos. They stop their vehicle right at the sight of a prospective passenger irrespective of the number of seats available. Passengers fill the volume of the share auto completely, even the tiny space over the engine, next to the gearbox.
Despite the fatiguing traffic situation, it is the understanding that gives a person the nerve to brave the traffic and make it through.

The understanding :
It is when you decide not to panic even when the ply of vehicles behind you honk relentlessly. It is when you know the auto driver is at fault and you shout at him for the same. It is when you understand pavements are meant for hawkers and encroachments and roads are meant for walking and driving en masse.

In short, it is when you realise 'the roads are filled with idiots'. It is only then, a person is ready to brave the Chennai traffic.

No Parking!

#3
The incident described in this article happened a few months ago, when we had dropped by at a relative's place. The place located in a narrow street in Mylapore, had no room for cars to be parked. Parking the car contiguous to the street was ritualistic until then.

An hour after the car was parked, it was missing. The car had either disappeared or been towed by the police, the latter being much more probable. Being my sister's month old car, she was startled. The 'guy at the iron shop' had closed for lunch for the hour and had no clue where the car was. I wasn't shocked, unlike my sister. For me, it was partially exciting for I knew it was a game with the police. And so, we enquired among people who could have seen the car being taken away, no one had any idea. Common sense suggested we could enquire at the nearest police station and so, I along with my father and sister, in my dad's car drove to the Mylapore police station.

'The officer at the entrance' showed us in. The men there were dispersing for lunch and lead us to the Traffic Police department in the first floor. The sight of the first floor left my sister in a daze for it shared a striking similarity to a men's changing room , there was only one police constable in that floor and he was busy with his lunch. As we walked back down, the 'officer at the entrance' suggested we go check at the beach or at the next nearest police station. The next nearest was by my place. And so we drove to the Abhiramapuram police station. The officers there were done with lunch, and they listened to my father with interest. "My car was parked by the street around 11 and .....". They seemed like the better officers at that moment. They suggested we call the control room, and gave us the number. The line was busy.

And there we stood, right before the police station having no idea where the brand new car had been taken. It was not parked in a 'No Parking' zone.  Moreover, it wasn't the idea of the second to park it at that spot. Highly frustrated but keeping his cool was my dad. Just as we decided to go to the beach to look for the car, an attempt to reach the control room succeeded. My sister explained solicitously to the 'officer on the line', "It wasn't parked in a No Parking zone, it is a brand new car". Calling back after five minutes, the 'officer on the line' confirmed that a car towed matching the mentioned description had been taken to the beach or The Music Academy junction.

The MA was the next spot. From a distance, my sister spotted her car parked under the flyover next to the towing van and a traffic police officer. Parking the car haphazardly, my father, and sister got off the car. I used the opportunity to enhance my parking skills and parked the car better.

Frustrated and heaving a sigh of relief at the sight of her car, she interrogated 'the officer' why her car had been towed. "The Governor had to pass by the road". That was the answer. Disgusted by the hasty response, my dad asked why there was no information left about where the car was being taken. He wanted answers for the hour we had just spent in agony. "Governor varam bodhu car ah nirithna apdi dhan pannuvom" were the words of reply.  The calm was lost. My dad wanted legitimate answers. After a few heated exchanges, the police officer fetched the key, didn't unlock the wheel yet. He had just taken his billing machine out. Demanding a fine of 500 from us, he carried on billing. My father stopped him from doing so. He wasn't ready to pay the fine, not for the amount, but because there was no wrong on our side. When asked what the fine was for, he replied it was for the car being parked on the road when the Governor passed by. When we argued it wasn't a 'No Parking' zone, he hastily said it wasn't a Parking Zone. Looks like there is something that we have all missed between Parking and No Parking.
This led me to these inferences : Never park your car in a place that does not have a 'Parking' sign. Paste your personal contact details on the windshield of the car to make it easier for the police to reach you. (sarcastic suggestion by the officer)

Balked at the purpose of the fine, my father refused, 'the officer' contemptuously replied he wouldn't release the car. The disrespectful comments infuriated me. I decided to take help from my 'influential friend'. I knew I wasn't taking advantage for there was no wrongdoing on my side and for we had been treated crudely. I remember shrieking at one of the police officer's harsh remarks before I decided to take it to my friend. The 'influential friend' was quick to respond. All he wanted to know was the name of the police officer. I could see my father succumbing to the officer's demands as I was on the line, I shouted from a distance asking him to wait. I didn't want it to be an episode where the police officer had his way even when he was on the wrong side.
The officer threatened to move the car to the beach if the fine wasn't paid immediately.
It all had to happen at the same moment, as my father drew currency notes out of his wallet (to pay the fine), as the policeman re-towed the car, came a phone call. 'The officer' responded with respect on the line. It was from an authoritative person. I do not take pride in saying this, again, I hadn't taken advantage of my friend's resources.
It is stupefying what a phone call can do. The police officer, who showed no signs of respect until then unlocked the wheel and had just three words to say and I quote "Kavalthurai Ungal Nanban".

Had the 'infuential friend' not been there, we would have had to accede to the police officer. This is not thanking the friend. "Why did my car which was parked very much in the corner have to be moved for the Governor to pass by?, Why did the officer show such baffling disrespect?, Why were we asked to pay a fine!" are the unanswered questions.
British prime minister David Cameron took to the Metro Rail after a speech of his a few years back, while the Governor here requires a convoy and the road to be cleared to make it through the way. The police officer was definitely not a friend as he had claimed.
Thoughts about our country being a politically bad one flooded me that day. I respect policemen, it would be wrong to judge them with one incident.
Unwilling to indulge in any further exchange with the police officer, we returned to the relative's place for the special lunch.