Chennai
1. The bus drivers never stop on the designated stops. They stop some 10 meters ahead or 10 metres beyond. When they move from the stop, the bus drivers swerve to the right lane immediately on take-off, irrespective of any vehicle movements behind them
2. The auto wallas have no rules. The most menacing is the share autos. They stop anywhere and everywhere. Tell them about following lanes and they will give you a lame look
3. Bikers will just have a single mirror on the right and wont bother about any vehicle coming from the left, will still always keep to the right side of the road. Some of the over cautious ones will keep left and always look as if they were about to stop
4. All the road users tend to stop for signals most of the times, but expect them to Zap fast immediately on the signal turning green
5. The traffic constables tend to regulate the traffic reasonably well, dozing off every now and then
Bangalore
1. The bus service - as minimal as it is - is much better than Chennai, in the sense, the buses tend to stop in the designated stops. And if you can speak Kannada, the conductors will even guide you on when you need to alight. But if you are a Tam, forget it. Just be happy you can travel in the bus :)
2. The auto wallas are much better. They go on meter, not many share autos around. They tend to respect signals. However, this is changing of late. I guess the influx of IT grads from Chennai is spoiling the Bangalorean auto wallas as well
3. Since the roads are too narrow, the bikers think of the platforms as the lane for them. Dont be surprised if you see the bikes plying on the platforms all the way for a stretch of 3 KMs. It is only too normal in Bangalore
4. All the road users tend to stop for signals all the time, wait for the green signal before starting the car again and thus waste a precious 10 secs before the traffic starts moving again, especially the old retirees who have settled in Bangalore. Dont be surprised if you stay behind a car and end up honking and getting frustrated before the car ahead decides it is time to move on
5. The traffic constables tend to regulate the traffic reasonably well, with their job getting easier with decent road users
Hyderabad
1. All the buses operate as a point to point service. A 10H (the one that goes from Kondapur to Secunderabad) bus driver, if he starts from Kondapur, he doesnt stop it till he reaches Secunderabad. And thats because he gets a break of 15 mins before he goes back to Kondapur. Do not expect the buses to stop in any intermediate stopping points. If the driver is in a good mood, you can expect him to slow down a bit for the passengers to alight. Else just wait for the nearest signal and pray it turns red and that the driver stops for a red signal!!!
2. Hyderabad is the hub of share autos. Guess they would have invented the concept here. You see more share autos plying on roads than the regular metered ones. These autos are always stationed in the junctions, blocking traffic movements on all directions. You can always find the traffic constables beating autos with lathis trying to drive them away from the junctions, only to find them take a U-turn a little ahead and get back to the original location. If you are a cartoon fan and missed a tom and jerry show, dont worry this will fill in for that
3. The bikers in Hyderabad are also a unique breed. You will either find bikes with no rear view mirrors or with both the mirrors, but turned the other way around, so that the driver can always have a look at his face to notice and adjust any small strand of hair not in its place.
4. Signals? what are they for. As long as i have some small space to move ahead, i will keep moving forward.
5. Traffic constables - they are stationed in all the junctions. Dont be surprised if you dont notice them at all in any junction. You need an eye for detail to catch them on duty.
So, while Chennai has decent roads, with road users, except bus drivers and auto wallas trying to follow some traffic discipline, Bangaloreans have the best traffic sense expect for the bikers driving on the platforms, but the most narrow roads and Hyderabad has the best roads with the worst traffic management
I have been learning driving and might be on the road soon, not just as an observer of all this traffic chaos, but as a road user as well. GOD save me
