Scraps Stuffs - Random musings from apun ka desh

One-way roads scream third-world to me. Way too many vehicles on the road and way too many narrow roads equals congestion. And one of the easiest ways (and the most third wordly) is to impose one ways. The way this is done in Bangalore seems very random. Initially there is a lot of confusion and traffic piles up at those locations where the one way is imposed. Then over a period of time, the traffic congestions eases at that point, only to arise someplace else. No one seems to be addressing the basic problem - the public transport system is so pathetic that people prefer to use personal transportation to get from one place to another. The roads can't take this load. Cops are non-existent to direct the traffic flow, or if they exist, are incompetent and just plain lazy, both intellectually and otherwise. The whole situation seems hopeless. The only way out that I can see is to improve the public transportation system ASAP. Create more parking spaces so that vehicles aren't parked on already narrow streets. Crack the whip on recalcitrant auto-rickshaw drivers and put some sense of discipline into them. Enforce traffic laws so that blatant signal jumping is judged harshly and stiff fines imposed. Enforce lane discipline. These are the basics that any non third world system should have in place. Any wonder that Bangalore's traffic system is a nightmare to residents, what to speak of visitors!