Shady city of chaotic traffic

Bangalore: Shady city of chaotic traffic
The Jakarta Post

The Bangalore-based TVS Motor Company invited Indonesian journalists to visit its headquarters from May 8-11. Here, The Jakarta Post's Soeryo Winoto reports on his first impressions from a glimpse at the city of jam-packed streets.

It was about 11 p.m. local time when our plane from Singapore landed at the Airport of Bangalore. Things looked ok in the airport building, which looked old enough to be called "modern".

What surprised me a lot was the hectic situation outside the airport. Hundreds of passengers who had just landed on international flights packed the compound, mingling with people touting for transportation.

The two TVS officials who met us at the airport guided us to a place where they said the taxis were parked.

Spending several minutes waiting for a taxi, I unexpectedly saw something strange -- but so familiar, as this happens almost everyday in Jakarta.

The taxis, which look like mikrolet (public mini-vans) in Jakarta, jostled in the parking lot -- which were actually roads running in front of the airport. (I'd also just become aware that most drivers of public transport vehicles wore white uniforms.)

Many of the taxis stopped at will to pick up passengers, blocking the road and making other drivers honk their horns. The police officers in the area looked upset at trying to put things in order.

An officer with a thick mustache approached a taxi driver who was busy handling a passenger's luggage.

"Something is going to happen," I thought. I missed my expectations! The officer just waved his hands and talked to the driver, who looked nonchalant. Nothing happened. The driver spent another few seconds handling the luggage before leaving.

We were divided into two groups to go to the Grand Ashok Hotel, where we were staying. The driver of my taxi was a Bangalorean, who spoke English in an accent that sounded strange to my ears. He told me that honking was usual in India. We shared jokes now and then. But suddenly he said, "Look ... look!" pointing to a taxi that had just hit a concrete block dividing the road. Then he giggled.

Taken to the TVS Motor Company plant in Hosur by bus on my first day in the city, I was again surprised. I found out that most streets in Bangalore are lined with big trees with a large number of various birds flying to and fro -- a scene very rarely found in Jakarta.

Locals said that most of the trees dated back to a century ago when the British ruled India. Large trees were also visible in many city parks, justifying Bangalore's claim to being called the "Garden City".

Comparing Bangalore to Jakarta is, frankly, a bit unfair. However, the traffic in Bangalore did remind me of our capital's unruly streets.

Its streets were a real chaos, with uncountable motorbikes and cars competing to reach their destinations. The difference in Bangalore is that we will see -- once in a while -- a cow crossing the street or resting on a roadside. Men relieving themselves under a roadside tree is also a common sight.

Vehicles occupying half of the lanes to either side -- seemingly to prevent anyone from overtaking them -- is also commonplace, despite the constant presence of traffic officers. Such situations obviously force other drivers to honk.

What was highly interesting was that these inconvenienced drivers seemed to honk without anger or annoyance at the other vehicles or motorbikes in front that were occupying half a lane.

In such cases, it usually took only a few seconds for the motorists blocking lanes to move aside, then they would glance at the "noisy" driver behind them.

That was all. No arguments, no anger, no swearing.

Unlike in Jakarta, where most motorists are quick to anger, those in Bangalore acted more patiently, despite their neglectful conduct toward other road users.

The following day, we were taken around the city to visit various sites including old temples and notable buildings, as well as a handicraft market controlled by the state.

We were in a brand-new Toyota Innova van driven by Hameed, the first Muslim Indian I met during my time in Bangalore.

I thought it was the best time to hunt for photo objects. Unfortunately, the windshield of the car made it impossible for me, armed with only a small pocket camera, to get good pictures -- while asking the driver to stop periodically so I could shoot picturesque scenes and spots would have been very annoying.

Hameed said religious life in Bangalore was not a problem. Everyone had the same right to observe their faith without resistance or obstruction from people of other religions, he said.

Hameed's statement made me feel ashamed given that I am from Indonesia, where tolerance among religions is said to be guaranteed and preserved but in reality, religion-related conflicts have become commonplace.

The 272.12-sq km city of Bangalore, home to almost 7 million people, has about 60 Hindu temples, 57 churches, 40 mosques and 35 dargahs, or Islamic shrines.

"We are living in a secular-like city. People don't care (about) others' religion," a Bangalorean said. He may have been telling the truth. When we visited a temple where a ritual was taking place, we received no signs of either acceptance or refusal from those inside the temple. Things just went on.

Chaotic traffic seems inevitable in Bangalore. Twenty years ago, the city's population numbered 3 million, and there were 300,000 vehicles on the road. Today, almost 7 million residents drive 2.3 million vehicles through the city's jam-packed streets, most of which are dusty during the dry season and turn muddy during the rains. The latest records show an average of 700 people register new vehicles in Bangalore every day.

The rapid growth of manufacturing companies in Bangalore means that the city is home to more than 1,700 software companies that employ about 310,000 people. This -- by all means -- is reflected in the traffic, which always deteriorates when it rains.

The people's complaints about the traffic continue without cease, while the local administration doesn't manage to properly address the issues. Most complainants blame motorists for the frenetic traffic in Bangalore.

Sound familiar?

While comparing Bangalore to Jakarta may be somewhat unfair, the attitude of motorists in the two cities are comparable. And in spite of the deteriorating road infrastructure, the human element must be held responsible for the bad traffic.

Most drivers/motorists do not have a traffic "sense": they do not know the traffic rules and do not pay attention to other road users.

A Bangalorean once shared his headache over the problematic traffic on a website, saying that there was no definite solution to the gruesome traffic.

"But maybe it is because people can get a driver's license very easily. For a small bribe you can get a license -- even without being in the country," the man wrote. He did not observe drastic improvements in either the traffic nor infrastructure.

Over the two whole days I spent in Bangalore, I did encounter unusual sights and sounds -- but there was also a whole lot of Jakarta, right there on the city streets.