chennai traffic

Everyone would have experienced the Chennai traffic; at times it is so bad that you feel like jumping off your vehicle and run somewhere.

I grew up in Delhi; I strongly feel that the traffic sense there is far better than here in Chennai, though I dint drive there.

Yesterday was completely organized chaos… signals from ashok pillar to Mugappair junction were not working… and no traffic police…

Vadapalani signal to radha park inn( probably 2 kms) took me 40 mins and on top of that the heat. I can't actually completely blame the Govt…Chennai drivers are probably the worst in the World.

A typical scenario in a civilized world and in Chennai (Chennai is civilized at all when it comes to traffic sense):

 

1. Person sees a yellow signal

Civilized place: hmm… I need to slow down

Chennai: go fast ..fast…. yes I made it.

2. Red signal

Civilized place: stop until green

Chennai: people are intelligent here…. Before green itself they start

3. Stop Line:

Civilized place: I should stop before the stop line

Chennai: ohh.. this is some line drawn as they had extra paint

4. Zebra crossing

Civilized place: look for any pedestrians and if they are crossing fuckin stop

Chennai: what is that…?

5. Right Lane

Civilized place: use the right lane to overtake

Chennai: first of all… what is a lane? And if the left lane is empty I will overtake on that

6. Highway and Freeway

Civilized world: The rules are different and mostly pedestrians are not allowed.

Chennai: (no freeways) Highway is just another road

7. When you hit a main road from arterial road

Civilized world: Stop look to your right and carefully turn

Chennai: Horn twice and turn

8. Horn

Civilized world:  To show your disregard

Chennai: Horn is there and I will press it … no reason

At times you get irritated at the signal…. It would be a red and the person behind you will be honking….what the heck… am I supposed to fly…? How do these people get a license?

9. Rountana (This is a special English letter word in Chennai which is nothing but a round about)

Civilized place: to go to right you have go about the circle and then turn right

Chennai: rountana has nothing to do with traffic it is part of city beatification

10. Suddenly a pedestrian crossed the road

Civilized place: stop and acknowledge him

Chennai: bemaani solitu vandhutiya?

And then there are these Auto drivers…. You will never what is their next move… from the very left of the road to right they will go almost cutting the road at almost 90 degrees.

 

Bus drivers, they should be more responsible, but these people are worse than lorry drivers. Talking of these guys, it reminds me of a incident that happened when I traveled from Chennai to Trichy on a KPN bus. The passenger seated next to me was a old person. Some Rajini movie was on. This old man wanted to pee and asked me if I could go and ask the driver if he could stop at any petrol bunk with a loo. I went to ask the same…. there was another guy with the driver and the driver is saying:

Thalivar ennama kalakuraar parru ( the scene was rajini throws a bottle on a rowdy and he falls down), though the TV set is behind the driver, he is able to visualize the scene.

With such a driver, god only saved us.

 

Coming to government… they have flyovers and subways…kudos guys… but some of them are unnecessary like the one in front of Anna university and a subway between Mt station and meenambakkam.

Nandanam signal and vadapalani badly need one.
will continue