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Mumbai Traffic
September 9, 2005
If you live in Mumbai, employing a driver may turn out to be a very wise investment, if you can afford it. What an elitist, I hear you saying. But I’m simply being practical.
That’s because traffic in Mumbai takes on a life of its own during peak hours. I mean, I bang my steering wheel with just as much frustration as the next guy whenever I’m stuck in traffic for about 10 or 20 minutes in Singapore but in Mumbai, the locals hardly bat an eyelid while they’re caught in a traffic jam for over 2 hours!
As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Mumbai’s commuters battle traffic congestion every day. Indeed, they plan their appointments around traffic patterns. When I visited Mumbai for the second time after 20 years, I learned very quickly to ask friends and associates what time they thought I should leave my hotel so that I’d be able to meet them on time!
That’s because the very first day I ventured out into the city, it took me over 2 hours to get to a friend’s house, which was only 20 kilometers away by car. To say that traffic was at a standstill is an understatement!
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| Picture by Paul Noronha |
Commuters in Mumbai generally have five choices by which to get around – private car, Cool Cab, Black & Yellow Taxi, Auto-rickshaw, public train and bus and motorbike, in descending order of comfort. Of course, one could also choose to put one’s life on the line and weave precariously in and out of traffic on a bicycle, or brave it on foot.
Using the public trains and buses were adventures I wisely avoided, especially after seeing people chasing, and then leaping onto moving buses that were already stuffed to well beyond their capacities. The trains were no better, with people hanging off every door of the carriage.
I decided to stick to private transport and endured several rides in a couple of the city’s ageing Black and Yellow taxis. Although the only real annoyance was the drivers’ constant touting of discounted trips to various tourist destinations, it was always a relief to finally arrive at my destination.
The Cool Cabs, which are so-called because they are air-conditioned, offered a much more pleasant travel experience and most of the drivers I encountered could speak more than a smattering of English, which allowed for some interesting encounters. There was one driver who’d tried to appear competent and said he knew how to get to my destination. “No problem, madam”, he said. And then proceeded to circle around the famous Chowpatty Beach area, trying in vain to find the restaurant I wanted to go to, without admitting that he didn’t have a clue where it was! Another Cool Cab driver chatted with me about how he enjoyed his work although he only got to keep 30 rupees out of every 100 he made, which was still a far cry from the days when he struggled as an auto-rickshaw driver.
And speaking of auto-rickshaws, I did work up the courage to make a few short trips on the three-wheelers. Affectionately called “auto-ricks” by the locals, they reminded me of Bangkok’s infamous tuk-tuks and swerved in and out of traffic in pretty much the same way. Needless to say, I had my fingers clutched around the metal bars in a vise-like grip, which was the only thing preventing me from hurtling out of the auto-rick onto the busy street!
I once read that over a million new cars are added to Mumbai roads every year, and if India’s automobile market is poised to take off as some believe it is, then the time has certainly come for some serious public transport planning to meet the demands of the rapidly growing Mumbai metropolis.
Written by Yvonne Gomez.
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