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Viewing Roads are the Soul of a NationRoads are the Soul of a Nation
By abhimanyu
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Roads and traffic are complementary terms. One cannot do without the other and vice-versa; one's state of health affects the other. Someone very rightly said 'Roads are a soul of a Nation'. Roads and traffic are complementary terms. One cannot do without the other and vice-versa; one's state of health affects the other. Someone very rightly said 'Roads are a soul of a Nation'. Nations are not defined by their financial clout or by military strength, not by the cultural heritage or vast natural resources, not even by political pedigree. They are defined by their traffic and roads. Here are some facts: Germany has the Autobahn, where not-so-poor engineers in highly-engineered Porsches ply the wide lanes at 200 km. per hour. Americans are limited to 88 km. per hour, but they make up for that since they are conceived, born, live, work and all-too-often die in their cars (and in Southern California die 'for' their cars), which are outfitted with exotic toys like hydraulics, TVs, fax machines, cellular phones, and computer maps that show where the stars live. China has something like roads, but it they are used for tractors and trucks, bicycles and such, since there are too few cars for the size of the country. But hey, I am not talking about roads or about different countries. Since time immemorial road traffic in India has been deplored for all the excitement it offers to others. Indian traffic, like Indian politics, is largely unstructured, fragile - and of course, very complex. Above all odds, democracy still prevails. Besides cars, trucks, and scooters, India has space for cows, buffalos, elephants - and you name it. The situation is quite sorry and seems to be almost hopeless in metropolitan areas. Out there it is a full-fledged jungle where there is no law. The rate of road accidents is increasing alarmingly. Let's take the case of India's capital. Delhi has 24,400 km, of roads and a motor vehicle population of approximately 3.2 million. Over 500 vehicles are added to the capital's roads every working day. With the ineffective meager traffic police force strength of 3,000 personnel (in a ratio of 1:8 per km. of road and 1:1,066 per local vehicle population), it is clear that qualitative and dedicated assistance to traffic police needs top priority. But everything seems to be in vain as of now. Mumbai's worsening traffic jams seem to be never-ending. Mumbai single-handedly handles about 25% of the domestic and 38% of the international air passenger traffic in India. All these passengers must use its roads. Be it traffic in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, or Bangalore, road safety odds are not favorable. About the Author: Abhimanyu Singh is a contributing author to the website http://www.easydriveforum.com. This is the first ever Indian road traffic forum. It brings lots of Indian road users to a common platform, where they can discuss road and traffic safety in India, Indian traffic rules, driving practices, as well as traffic in Delhi, Bangalore, and other cities of India. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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