DWS Extra

I have been in New Delhi only for around 8 months. But you don’t need to be a Delhi resident to know about the Blueline menace. Years before I even considered moving to Delhi, I had heard about the Redline buses – accident prone and aggressive, flouting every rule of the road. They were later renamed to Blueline, but the buses remained what they are – big, overspeeding metal boxes driven by the Grim Reaper himself.

The last few months have been really bad. Bluelines mowing down pedestrians, motorcyclists, running into cars and other vehicles, and even that really strange case of a Blueline driven by a cleaner under training running into seven vehicles and killing a kid.

The outcry was immense, and the Delhi government has been foundering ever since to come up with a solution. Its initial knee-jerk reactions were to check every blueline driver’s credentials – and the panicked bus operators stayed off the road. And there was mayhem on the streets, with no way for commuters in the city to get home after work. Since then there have been even more accidents, and commuters are still struggling.

Blueline buses – owned and operated by small businessmen – are to Delhi what the local trains are to Mumbai. Okay, maybe not that much. Bombay can come to a standstill if trains stop running – in Delhi you have other options, but nothing really can replace the Blueline buses. So checking for speed governers or not, checking licenses or not, you have a problem. And it is time Delhiites admitted certain serious issues with the way they handle traffic, and yes, life in general.

Look at how people drive in Delhi. Cars race towards an intersection with no signals, when there are vehicles across their path. Then, brake as late as possible. The objective is intimidation. I shall race towards you like death on four wheels, and you will panic and make way for me. This is standard business on Delhi roads. I don’t think anyone even notices that.

Or how close to pedestrians they drive. Walking on the road is extremely dangerous, as they tend to race within a foot’s space of your feet. If you are distracted or stepped out accidentally, you will have nicely flattened feet.

Or how they race within colonies. Normally colony roads have cars parked on either side, so there is very little space remaining in the middle for a vehicle to pass. Delhi drivers accelerate like they are on a drag strip. Usually for a distance of 100 or 200 meters. the sudden roar from behind can give you a heart attack.

For a city that has been under attack from invaders for centuries, Delhiites have taken war to heart. Their car or SUV is their personal rath, andhe who stands in the way is an enemy warrior.

U-turns? No problem. Breaking a traffic signal? Everyday stuff. Driving threateningly close to pedestrians or smaller vehicles? Muscle rules, baby.

And as for pedestrians or two-wheeler riders, they would cross a road anywhere with impunity, jump right in the way of on-coming vehicles, and do it stupidly. They are not even too smart, you know – they hardly look, handing over the responsibility of their lives to the Gods above.

So everyone is to blame. The blueline owner, driver, car drivers, pedestrians, and everyone who tolerates all this. We have some responsibility in every vehicle accident that happens in Delhi – and to some extent, we all add to the law-breaking that is routine.

I have a solution to offer. Zero tolerance traffic rules.

Announce in advance that every traffic violation will be severely punished. Put cops at every signal. Power is what Delhi understands; give it to them in large doses. In Mumbai, cabbies check to see if there is a cop standing by around the corner. There usually is someone. Impound law-breaking cars and bikes; impound all vehicles being driven without licenses, and do it on a large scale. Let there be fear. There is serious confidence in Delhi that you won’t get caught; that you can get away even if you do. But Delhi Metro proved that you can discipline this unruly city if you want. Do it to the streets now. May the fear be with you, Delhiites!