|
 According to a Reuters report, Jaak Gabriels, Belgian Minister, has proposed a unique plan to reduce rush hour traffic jams. Under it, a citizen would be given vouchers for a certain quantity of travel. By cutting down unnecessary travel, he can encash unused vouchers after a period. Gabriels cites several studies on the cost of traffic jams. A 1996 survey in Flanders, Belgium, showed that every kilometre travelled in traffic jams cost 51 Belgian francs ($1.20), while a Dutch study estimated their annual cost at 500,000 francs for small-and medium-sized businesses.
In India, the problem is actually even more acute. The volume of traffic on Indian roads has grown almost 100 times in the last fifty years, while road space has gone up only five to six times. In 1950, we had only 0.3 million vehicles, but today the country has more than 25 million vehicles. The recent spurt in incidents of road-rage on Delhi roads is a relevant pointer. Crowded roads, undisciplined traffic, honking drivers, traffic light hold-ups, and above all the desire to remain in the fast track bring out the worst in drivers, and tensions originating at work place or home tend to spill over into aggression in driving.
You are late for work and you just want to get out of the mess by hook or crook. You sweat, curse, fume, shout and make offensive gestures, and finally when you have broken free, you have badly frayed nerves for the day ahead. Actually, increasing traffic pressure is a worldwide problem, but in India, with its poor roads, bad lighting,
 inadequate signalling, lack of road discipline and manners make things much worse. There is little room for error on crowded, congested roads. The more time one is trapped in a traffic jam, the more frustration and rage take over. Once free of the congestion, one turns to speed and running through red lights, stepping up the degree of peril.
 Some Tips
 Plan Ahead: Leave 10 minutes earlier than necessary. Leaving late and expecting to make up on the road just doesn't work out.
Concentrate: Give driving your full attention. Avoid talking on the cell phone, shaving, eating, drinking, putting on makeup, or reading the newspaper. Distractions lead to mistakes and mistakes can be unpleasant.
Relax: Tune to your favourite "easy listening" radio station or play tapes. Music can calm your nerves and help you enjoy your time in the car.
Keep to Speed Limits: Speeding, apart from other dangers, leads to "bottle-necking", bringing traffic to a standstill.
Try Alternate Routes: Even if an alternate route looks longer on paper, you may find it is less congested. However, once on it, don't turn it into a racetrack by speeding.
 Varying schedules: See if you can work to more flexible work hours, by which you can avoid the rush hour. With the facilities of the Internet revolution becoming increasingly available, see if you can work entirely from home at least some days. This trend is fast growing.
Use Public Transport: Even if less convenient, public transport can give you some much-needed relief from driving stresses. Try it just once or twice a week to begin with.
Move Closer or Change Jobs: Many people are finding that, despite the cost, moving closer to work is a good alternative, which, in addition, allows you more free time. You may find an even
more drastic step worthwhile: Change jobs! A long and difficult commute can seriously diminish your quality of life and many are finding it is not worth it.
Just Be Late: If all else fails, just be late. No one ever died of reporting late for work, but many have, rushing to get there on time.
|
