Rules of the road at Silicon Valley

Kamal Baruah

(The author can be reached at kamal.baruah@yahoo.com)

‘‘Oh you broke my car; you’ve to pay the repair cost.” I apologized for my part and promised to repay. He left a visiting card and quickly drove away. He was courteous and behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman. No matter what the damage, a car crash can be upsetting and stressful. After a week, I reached Bellary Road to meet the HMT Engineer Mr Balamurgan...

Speed is exciting! After observing those fearless bikers stunt riding, I now realize why my father had stopped it. Riding a motorcycle requires more coordination, agility, and alertness. The temptation to speed and dart through traffic is hard for some teenagers to resist. Almost 78% accidents take place due to reckless driving. The rapid urbanization has changed our lifestyle. The financial institutions have vigorously pushed aggressive marketing for vehicle loan. And I too got my first bike through loan from AFGIS New Delhi. Driving in big cities is never an easy job. I just couldn’t forget DTO’s remarks “better luck next time”. Ironically, I had to appear three times in late 90s to qualify driving license test from RTO, Bangalore North. I saw drivers using hand signals as well as indicators. Seat belts and helmet rule were mandatory then. Many states do not adhere well to regulate such strict practices and follow minimum proficiency resulting in the rise of road accident.

Motor vehicle has made our days real easy. Owning two-wheelers on 1980s was a dream for us. Bicycle was the only companion. Come rain or sun – we walked to school on a 4 km treacherous stretch of the road. Sometimes sand trucks had great sympathy for us by giving a lift. Those were great moments of our school days. But my quest of going to school by a bicycle happened only in high school. My father had Philips bicycle during his university days. And with that I pedalled along the canal towpath effortless and free. We kicked football after school and even rode during dust storm. I wasn’t allowed to ride a scooter or drive on two-wheeler. His strict order was to complete graduation. I was very displeased indeed. Even 17 year olds can join as flying pilot at Air Force, I would insist to my father.

The roads of Silicon Valley are known for delivering a smooth drive on. It is home to the IT industry. Since the early 1990s, global technology firms began opening offices here and a large number of support industries have grown around it, bringing with them a huge influx of people from all over India. Bangalore became the new El Dorado. MG Road is a one stop destination for shopping adventure, swarming with people for recreation all the time. It was the South Parade during the pre-independence era. The entire stretch of the road is a no stoppage zone. But there are unscientific speed breakers that make drivers uncontrollable. Western countries do not have speed breakers to control speeds rather a ‘STOP’ sign.

Young people tend to crave the culture of cities that offers vibrant and bustling lifestyles. My RX100 produced one of the loudest sounds on those days. We would loiter near the MG Road. The city grows with a transportation handicap with tangled plans for road systems. Bangalore’s infrastructure has not kept pace with time. The difficulty of finding a parking slot on this stretch reigns supreme. People follow lane discipline as police crackdown often. Slower driver just can’t hang out in the right lane and allow faster cars to use the lanes right of them. Barricades are strictly monitored. Such things do not happen in most of the cities. “What sort of driving is this?” I was once shouted upon for a wrong turn by a lady. I understood what A G Gardiner meant when he said that the one rule of the road is that liberty is not a personal affair, but a social contract. To control the unprecedented growth of motor vehicles, the Motor Vehicle Act, 1914 later known as “The motor Vehicle Act 1988” came into force from July 1, 1989, it was amended and revised several times. The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, came into force with effect from March 31, 2017.

The city has more subways to ease of flowing traffic. Honking is not allowed at night time. The Cubbon Park is horn-free zone 24x7. “Honk if you wish to pay a hefty fine”. The City Police tweeted with Lord of the Rings “Unless you’re summoning your troops, no matter how loud you honk at the red signal, the traffic will simply not move”. Majestic Bus Stand has led the example of organized infrastructure. After a Sunday movie at walking zone Brigade Road, I was hurriedly returning towards my Air Force HQ Training Command since dinner was about to close. The road condition was good and it thrilled me to drive fast. Traffic signals are made to ease traffic congestion. And suddenly there was Red Signal at Hebbal intersection. I saw the front car pressed the hydraulic brake suddenly. Braking system of bikes was not developed earlier for better stopping. I used the smart rules to bike safety and pressed the mechanised leg brake as well as hand brake and tried to take a left to avoid hitting the obstacle but my bike skidded straight a couple of feet, and its leg guard hit the left tail light of the front car. I was shaken by the incident.

It sustained severe damage to the vehicle. The Traffic Police arrived and witnessed the incident. The gentleman came out from his car, observed the damage and politely said “Oh you broke my car, you have to pay the repair cost.” I apologized profusely for my part and promised to repay him. He left a visiting card and quickly drove away. He was courteous and behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman. No matter what the damage is, a car crash can be upsetting and stressful. After a week, I reached Bellary Road to meet HMT Engineer Balamurgan. He showed me the vehicle repair invoice of Rs 450 and I obliged. On one occasion, I saw Wipro living legend’s life and times Mr Azim Premji going to his office at MG Road on foot. Azim has always led by example in hard work and austerity. The people of southern city are known for simplicity and hard work. Mr Narayana Murthy, the head of Infosys, who stands in queues and takes meals at Food Court with his employees, was grateful to Mr Azim who rejected him once for a job; else his founding of Infosys would have been delayed by a few years. Such honesty is a rare find. I had the privilege of being there at my early Yamaha days. Life happens in a flash; but memories are forever.