Driving in Dehradun is no easy job now. Of course, there was a time when it was a cakewalk for anyone to drive here. Even people crossing the road could walk with their eyes almost closed. This was a place where traffic jams were unheard of till about ten years ago! In fact, the Doon valley was a haven for those who were on the road. The population of people and the number of vehicles has multiplied many times since it became the interim capital of the mountain state of Uttarakhand in the year 2000.
Having driven a four wheeler before this crucial year and for more then eighteen years after it became a “big city”, I have found out that this place has its own strange rules and style of driving.
Each day, I have been thinking, for many years now, that I would write about this once I figured out how it works. Since I have not been yet able to figure out things, I decided to write about it without having understood the mechanics of it all.
The scooter and motorcycle walas are the most interesting of the entire lot of people on the roads of the valley. The landscape of the city ensures that there are many lanes that meet the main roads at many points throughout the city. One is quietly driving away when suddenly a two wheeler, sometimes even a four wheeler, appears from a lane straight onto the main road without any prior warning.
And if you try to say anything, the person driving that vehicle will look at you with surprise or even shock. “Oh, so am I expected to let the whole world know that I am just joining the main road?” is the kind of expression one sees on his or her face. One has to be very careful when passing these entry points from the lanes into the main streets. The rule seems to be that the person on the main road is responsible for all these sudden entries coming in without any notice!
Another rule seems to be not to wear a helmet or if you do wear it, do not tie up the two hanging ends of the straps. That is the “in” thing to do while you are in Doon. And if you do not want to do that, there is always the option of letting the helmet hang on your arm. It looks quite cool and saves you the botheration of stuffing your head into it.
I have often seen the person sitting behind a two wheeler carrying his own helmet and also the driver’s helmet. They could easily leave them at home and enjoy their ride but then they would not be able to quickly don the helmets where they expect traffic police personnel.
The funniest part is that most of the time, when one comes across rash drivers on two-wheelers, they turn out to be a trio sitting on the vehicle and all without helmets. The driver of these two-wheelers, more often than not, will be seen talking on their mobile phones which are precariously held between the shoulder and the ear of the driver. No mean feat, this! These jolly, happy go lucky trios can be seen all over the Doon valley. It is quite likely that they are under-age too. But no worries-they can get away with all they want to.
As my friend of many years always says “The only direction from which one does not expect vehicles to come and hit one is the sky. It is really true. One has to be constantly alert. Anyone can come in from anywhere at any time. All rules are being flouted. Something which I am really wondering about is the fact that when the railway “Phataks” are closed to let the trains pass, the vehicles on both sides of the “Phatak” spread out on the entire breadth of the road.
This makes it really difficult to get a clear path even after the train has moved on and the gates are opened. It is a sea of traffic meeting another sea of traffic. Nobody seems to get any space to move forward. But this is persisting and nobody seems to be noticing it or checking it. It is calling for immediate action. It is a mindless practice indeed! In case someone does pay attention to all these “Rules” made by people, things could surely get better on the roads of Dehradun!
