When I was a kid I used to dream for the
day I will be eligible to drive, so as soon I turned 18 I joined a driving
school and yeah got my driving lessons in no time as I was super exited and as
my trainer would say talented.
During college I could not really drive
frequently, but the moment I could crab a car I would hop in the driver’s seat.
After my first daughter was born I bought a second hand car for self drove
office daily. For first few days it was like dream come true as I was finally
getting my own car and drive when I like. Few and my daughter enjoyed our car
and the little drives. And then my office address changed, my drive to office
increased from half hour to 1.5 hours.
This was the time I was to face some
serious frustration named TRAFFIC.
First few days were good and I started to
wonder why people scared me about delay and long travel time and then one day while
returning to office I found the terror. It was as if all cars have denied
moving or are in some type of strike, just not moving, that day I took 1 hour
just to move half kilometer. I was patiently waiting to see the cause of this
heavy traffic but I came to a crossing there was a traffic police trying to
control all, poor chap was bombarded with cars from all sides. He patiently
tried to control all. The best part was the moment the crossing was passed
there was no traffic. So just a minute back I was stuck in immobile traffic and
a minute later I have an empty road to drive through. During the coming days I
had faced many types of traffic:- never ending construction, Pot holes, no
traffic signal so no management, a big vehicle blocked the road and for no
reason traffic. Although there are few areas where the traffic attacks are a
daily routine but few roads have no fixed pattern, any day, any road they can
strike and can make one wait for more than 2.5 hours for only few meter
distance.
This year India
specially Maharashtra and near states faced major water shortage and the rains
were blessings, but rains as every year was an eye opener for most of the roads
in Mumbai. The officials claiming the roads are in good condition this year
where crossed questioned via many radio channels and so rains where the major
reasons for traffic this year as well. Even the flyovers where attacked by pot
holes and these where super scary I felt we can land on the vehicles moving
below the bridge any time. With time many holes where filled, few solved the
issues on temporary basis and the basic problem still persists.
I have developed
love for radio during this period, new songs to hear and any current affairs
are been taken so well by these jockeys. They contact the officials and make
them answerable, they are media after all and have few big celebrities created
from the radio. They influence people and have the power to create news. So
each day they come up with offers, charity celeb talks competing with other
stations simultaneously. The RJ's also keep notifying about traffics and that
their stations/ show will help us, to some extend yes it helps but the traffic
is never ending frustration.
Even mobiles
phones are good support to kill the time in never ending traffic. Taking selfies,
pictures of different things in the car in creative angels, surfing social
media do work as medication to an extent. On one of my friend found a quick
snap to be good remedy as other cars will wake you up honking even if the car
ahead of you moves for 5 inches only, I can’t really use this idea.
After trying all
possibilities to keep myself busy during traffic which is just not moving, I
now know that driving is fun only on open roads and frustration on traffic filled
roads.
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