Traffic

During the recent trip to India, Dr Anne took on the role of a shadow driver.  

For someone like Dr Anne, the traffic scene is a million miles from the reality that she knows. As she sat in the front seat of the car and then the bus, she saw, heard and smelt a world almost impossible to describe.  There seemed to be no rules and if there were nobody paid attention to them.  

Driving, she was told was a matter of judgement.  

What was one's competition: 

large lorries loaded with logs, coal from the port, all kinds of industrial goods for the factories;

tankers;

smaller lorries filled to overflowing - would the load fall off;

small lorries full of people standing and sitting - the local bus; 

cars especially white cars all packed with people;

three wheeled lorries and people carriers;

the occasional tractor;

tuk tuks filled with whole families winding in and out among the traffic;

motor bikes or scooters with two, three and four people, none with helmets, baby was often on board;

bicycles loaded with goods such as sugar cane, grass and bags of rice etc. etc.;

people walking across the road;

and then there were the dogs, the goats, and of course the sacred cows.

With all this on the road, the horn was an essential to say "I am coming, make way, make way".  Our  driver kept his had on the horn as he passed on the right, passed on the left, went straight down the middle. There was overtaking at corners, the brow of the hill, when traffic was coming. At times we were three abreast with something coming in the opposite direction.  There was no angst as people gave way.  We all slowed up. There was no time when we were above 50mph.  

Alan, one of the group suggested a solution for the Haddigan Roundabout, Aberdeen.  Let everyone edge out slowly onto the roundabout and keep giving way.  If it works in India, would it work in Aberdeen?