Posted July 1, 2009 - 8:58pm by Betsy J. Blosser
In California - and especially in Southern California, we have the car. But in Delhi, how does one get around? Well, we are learning. Certainly there are cars - far too many for the streets. Imagine a four-lane, one-way street with at least five lanes of traffic traveling along it - and another few motorcycles or auto rickshaws creating even newer lanes! Oh, and keep in mind that streets are British style - one drives on the left. This means that, for the unsuspecting Californian who not only assumes that cars stop for pedestrians, but that cars drive on the right, crossing the street is a major adventure. Actually, that is a poor description. It is a life or death proposition. Cars, rickshaws, motorcycles and pedestrians all fight for space on the streets, and it is a constant game of chicken. One learns quickly to jump out of the way - quickly!
There is a metro - well built, clean, efficient, and inexpensive. There is quite a bit of security; women form one line and men form another as they go through airport-like security checks of their person and packages. Since more men are traveling than women, the line for men to pass through the security system is a great revenge for lines for women's restrooms around the world! The trains are air conditioned; they can be crowded, but even so, are quite comfortable. At every stop, a recording of a woman with a marked British accent warns the traveler to, "Mind the gap!" between the train and the platform. Unfortunately, the metro does not yet go to all parts of Delhi; it won't be complete until 2015, so that leaves the need to find other ways to get around.
Rickshaws! There are two types: the auto rickshaw and the bicycle rickshaw. The auto rickshaw is a motorized three-wheeler that holds up to 3 people (three THIN people!). The rule is to negotiate the price ahead of time, and to have an idea of what the ride should cost before the negotiation begins. Riding the autorickshaw is another experience of taking one's life in one's hands. The rickshaw driver crosses lanes of traffic, cuts off cars and other rickshaws, and constantly competes with other drivers to get where you want to go. One problem is that many rickshaw drivers can negotiate the traffic effectively, but they don't know how to get to specific places in Delhi. (No GPS system here!) We have spent huge amounts of time, especially at rush hour, trying to find the address we were looking for. The best way to ride in a rickshaw is to focus on something else - ANYTHING but the road ahead!
The bicycle rickshaw is another matter entirely. Two people (max) fit on the auto rickshaw, but for this Westerner, it is guilt-producing to get on a bicycle rickshaw, feeling the heat and knowing the energy it takes to pedal a bicycle, let alone one carrying a cart on which people are riding. The autorickshaw is best used for short distances, and we have done just that. The auto rickshaw driver needs to negotiate the same street with everyone else, so the game of chicken continues.
Yes, there are city buses, but we have been warned away from them by tales of pickpocketers and, more seriously, reports of sexual abuse. So we see them pass by, loaded with people, windows open, with no AC, and are grateful not to be riding them.
Tonight, we will experience the Indian train as we travel, overnight, to Mumbai. Stay tuned for a future report on that mode of transportation.
