Everyday, returning home safe seems to be now becoming a
great achievement! It was normal to return home without any much event on the
way. But, those days of complacency, so to say, on the roads are gone. Any
mishap or a conflict or worse accident may occur not due to one’s own mistake
but because of many other factors beyond one’s own control. We say truly, we
are in god’s hands if one leaves ones house for some work. For the poor, the
wrath of god can visit even their homes during monsoon or when the local government
decides to undertake ‘development’ while demolishing their homes!
The Mumbai stories of 4-5 people dying on railway tracks everyday
or occasional stampedes as on the Elphinstone road footoverbridge, reminds of
the hazards in everyday transit. Four people die on Delhi roads everyday. For
Ahmedabad, the rate is low but recorded at 6 deaths per week on the city roads
due to accidents. If there are no serious accidents resulting in deaths, there
are minor accidents causing denting of vehicles. Dents on the vehicles are now
new fashion statements! If not an accident then a skirmish, due to two vehicles
brushing each other, and one of them decides not to ignore this brushing and
wanting to vent out all the pent up anger compounded due to various
frustrations on the other party. These have become part of everyday life in our
cities. And add to it, the cow nationalism makes one even vary of brushing a
cow on the roads; the ‘mother cows’ who have been left to fend for themselves,
unleashing their animal spirits on the roads, foraging garbage and eating
plastics.
Let us leave aside the road accidents and deaths or injuries
caused due to them, sheer time spent on the roads due to rogue behavior of the
drivers itself causes higher exposure to vehicular fumes and hence health
impacts. The anxiety on the road due to the grid-locks, once again caused due
to ‘I will not let any one go before me’ syndrome, or the everyday struggle to
be ‘oneup’ on the road against other drivers, be they cyclists, scooter/
motorbike wallas, four wheeler drivers, autorickshaws and all goods transport
vehicles is too much with those with low tolerance levels to shocks. Everyone
wants to go first, the large vehicles such as buses and trucks want to push
their vehicle first while trying to make space amidst multitude of small
vehicles. The cyclists wanting to find space while stopping a truck. The
two-wheeler wallas, always angry that the big cars are taking up too much of
space, wanting to go first. There are unlimited and unmatched matches on the
road to go first. It is daily struggle for mobility on the city roads.
All these while, on most junctions, in case of Ahmedabad, no
one respects traffic lights if there is no police manning the junctions. What
an irony; traffic lights are for self-regulating traffic! If there is no
policeman or para-policeman manning the junctions, invariably, even during
light traffic, there are jams, and then struggle for ‘I go first’ or ‘I will
not allow anyone else go first’. Survival of the fittest, one who has quick
reaction to jam and finding few inches of space to but-in his/ her vehicle.
Interestingly, some of these complicated maneuvers are undertaken by some
drivers while constantly talking on their mobile phones.
On the road sides, there is struggle to walk on footpaths,
as they are encroached upon by vehicles or vendors. Inspite of the Vendors’
Act, no spaces are found in the city to locate them, no governance mechanism
except those of ‘agewans’ that is ‘local leaders’ who in a sense are weekly
hafta collectors. One is not sure whether there is low capacity to govern
street trade or lack of willingness to govern street trade that has caused the
situation we are in. It gets worse when a big car stops on a narrow road to
purchase goods from a larri, unconcerned about the roadblock the person may
cause on the narrow roads.
Thus, people walk on roads, cyclists who should be in the
left-most lane are in the centre of the road and on junctions while turning
right are in the front of a bus or a BMW. Where do we see such ‘all are equal
on road’ syndrome!
Since the animal spirits have been unleashed in the Indian
economy, the state taking a back seat in even regulating the economy, this
spirit has been passed on to all the spheres of life, including the roads.
Survival of the fittest. Or to say, survival of the most risk-taker on the
street.
Earlier, in our socialist era, ironically the cars thought
they ruled the streets. And indeed, transport planning and road designs were
only meant for private vehicles, with the emphasis on ensuring that they moved
fastest on the roads. Socialist era did not mean more public transport. But,
with the unleashing of animal spirits in the economy also led to increased
incomes and more personal vehicles, in particular the two wheelers on the
streets. In many cities therefore footpaths have not been built or have been
narrowed to accommodate the increased private vehicular traffic. The owners of
private vehicles are unwilling to give up their right to the road space, the
vulnerable – the pedestrians and cyclists – although in larger numbers then
motorized vehicles, are unable to voice their needs. Not being given any space
on the road, they vent their frustrations by mingling with motorized vehicular
traffic.
Darwinism on the roads will not take us
anywhere. One place where strict government regulations are required, and that
is the roads, in particular the city roads. The government needs to take a
call. It has to do both, regulate the traffic as well as increase the supply of
public goods in transport. Animal spirits do not help in this aspect of city
life. In general in life, unleashing of animal spirits has no limits of self-interest at the larger well being of the society.
