I thought the Bay Area was bad until I caught a glimpse of this video.This guy on his scooter captures what it's like to ride through traffic in some parts of India. For me this would just be too overwhelming. It would mess with me even if I wasn't the driver.
The traffic in India is very bad, but that is the same for a lot of Asia. They have narrow roads, high population density, and a lot of vehicles. Add to that people who do not know how to drive, and a lack of signs, signals, and lanes. Although it is getting better, it is a strange and sometimes overwhelming traffic situation.
As Indians we have become quite used to it. I understand how it can be a shock to someone who hasn't grown up with it. I was just as surprised when I visited LA for the first time. I had never known traffic to move that smoothly!
I think as soon as anybody mentions a city like Delhi, then the image that they'll first conjure up in their heads will be of gridlocked traffic, and looking at the video, it's easy to see why, and it is a genuine problem, especially if your planning in hiring a vehicle or scooter while your out there. My advice would simply be don't.
I'm planning on hiring a motorbike when I get over there, which I reason will at least allow me to zip in and out of traffic. I must admit though, I don't think I'd be brave enough to risk my life on one of those rickshaw carriages!
Honestly, I thought the traffic in Ho Chi Minh City was the worst, worse than anywhere in India. There are no stop lights, no traffic signs. Everybody rides a bike, and pedestrians just walk forward into traffic. The bikes just swerve around you. It is the most surreal and frightening thing I have done. Crossing a street is like jumping off a cliff. It is a leap of faith.
To be honest you'd be safer in a rickshaw than on a motorbike in my opinion. While being on a bike would enable you to nip in and out of tight spaces and filter through traffic, you'd can easily be missed and not seen by other road users, and bike riders take their life into their own hands in the bag cities.
It's surprising though what people can just get used to after a while though. Ask anybody in that city if the traffic is bad and they'll say it is, but nothing special. They'll certainly not see it as lethal as what you did it or what other people who are just visiting would anyway.
Ah, yes, I see what you're saying. I've heard that car drivers in India are kinda blind to bikes and motorcycles, so it might be wise to stay off the roads, or only go on them if a local with experience is driving the vehicle I'm in.
There's no harm in giving it a go, and most rental places will charge by the day or even half a day if you ask them abd you can work a deal out. At least then you can see if you're confident enough to ride in the roads. If not, I'd rely on the local drivers and public transport, and while it might not be as quick, its certainly a lot safer.
The problem with countries with large populations. When it's rush hour, there's unbearable traffic everywhere. It's just gonna be honking and waiting until you get to your destination. What can you do? I think there are no other alternatives, as all cars you can rent or lease while on vacation would still need to follow road rules, and that's why there's no escape the dreaded traffic jams during midday and early mornings. The best you can do is to make sure that you don't go to a country during holidays or when there's school or office breaks, as the places would even be more crowded.
Yes it can be extremely claustrophobic and I thought the traffic in the USA was bad at times! It can be wall to wall cars and buses and then on top of everything else you have seemingly hundreds of people on bikes too. I can imagine its the norm for them so it's not bothersome but just looking at it makes me really open my eyes. I wonder how they maneuver through all that on a daily basis? On a side note, wouldn't it honestly be quicker to just walk in times like that?
For the people who live there, it's just a normal part of every day life, but if you're not used to it, the traffic can be unbearable. Avoiding holidays might be a good idea, but to be honest I'm not sure that's going to be much better, and I think if you're going to a major city, it's just something that you are going to have to put up with.
