Yesterday I wanted to do some shopping in Chennai and had the choice of taking a car or a tuk tuk. Tuk Tuks are Chennai's version of the rickshaw, but are a 3-wheel auto. So I went for the tuk tuk and what a wild ride. Here's a view from inside the tuk tuk. Since it's open, you get the fumes, street smells and dusty breeze as you travel. When turning corners I recommend closing your eyes.
I have been trying to figure out the driving techniques and rules in Chennai, and here is what I have come to understand.
1) You must constantly honk your horn. You honk in short bursts to indicate you are going around or in front of, another vehicle, person or cow. This tells everyone else, "Look out, here I come." Then you use the horn in long, hard blasts to indicate, "Get out of the way!".
2) No one gets angry much. Even though people are constantly cajoling each other, literally vehicles touch all the time, no one seems to mind too much, it's how you get through the maze.
3) Lanes are guidelines. Because there is one or two lanes for traffic means nothing, you make your own lane.
4) Traffic lights (certain ones) are guidelines. Sometimes the driver would stop at a red light and traffic would fly by us, not even pausing. We were the only vehicle to stop. Other times we would fly through what appeared to me to be red lights. I am still working on figuring out the whole traffic light thing.
I have been trying to figure out the driving techniques and rules in Chennai, and here is what I have come to understand.
1) You must constantly honk your horn. You honk in short bursts to indicate you are going around or in front of, another vehicle, person or cow. This tells everyone else, "Look out, here I come." Then you use the horn in long, hard blasts to indicate, "Get out of the way!".
2) No one gets angry much. Even though people are constantly cajoling each other, literally vehicles touch all the time, no one seems to mind too much, it's how you get through the maze.
3) Lanes are guidelines. Because there is one or two lanes for traffic means nothing, you make your own lane.
4) Traffic lights (certain ones) are guidelines. Sometimes the driver would stop at a red light and traffic would fly by us, not even pausing. We were the only vehicle to stop. Other times we would fly through what appeared to me to be red lights. I am still working on figuring out the whole traffic light thing.
Great idea for a video game! Phil took a video of these auto-rickshaws when he was in Bangalore: http://youtu.be/Ztl_IOjWffk
ReplyDeleteIt seems like India's driving guidelines are very similar to China's. In China, it seemed like everyone honks to let them know they're there, which is weird because it's so crowded that someone is always there. It also seemed like everyone moves at the same speed.
ReplyDeleteI bet it would be a real experience if you rented your own tuk tuk and made your way around town on your own. Let me know if you ever decide to do that.