the curse of the blueline
when i was but a child in school, my older sister would take public transport to her college in north delhi. the only local buses i have been in, to date, were with her. it would be a matter of much excitement to board the bus, be pushed from all sides, struggle to find a seat, and breathe in the odious fumes on the roads of delhi. purely because it was such a rare occurrence, i am sure. anyway, that was the time the redlines had started to function. what was originally a boon for transportation in delhi, quickly turned accident-prone and aggressive. the redlines were operated privately and there was minimal quality control. soon enough, the people of delhi revolted against them. to address the growing unrest these buses were quickly painted blue, commencing - thus - the blueline era.
the superstitious among us, who believe color makes all the difference, can think again. red or not, the bluelines continue to kill. if you're ever in delhi, be sure to keep away. you're probably ok taking these buses, but if you're off, you're likely to get run over. an article in the express newsline today listed the number of blueline fatalaties as 69 in '07. this year is no exception. the number was 100 last year, and higher still, the previous. and these are just the incidents that have been reported. not all errant drivers have been arrested/punished either. many of them were found absconding after the act. whether they were ever caught and put behind bars is anyone's guess.
this woeful association with the bluelines is not being shoved under the carpet, by any means. there are articles a-plenty on lives claimed, the many road accidents, the growing unrest in the minds of the delhi-ites, and action being taken against them by the commissioner of police and the delhi high court. in a recent fitness test drive, 3400 of 3838 bluelines secured red fitness stickers (the numbers vary according to which newspaper you read). it is not known, however, whether the ~400 (3000+ according to other figures) buses that failed the test are off the roads yet. the operators of these buses are also threatening to launch an agitation if their buses are not allowed to run.
the delhi high court asks why the blueline fleet should not be replaced by a "safer" transport system, given the persistent threat to life posed by them. from the test drive statistics above, it appears that the buses themselves are not the sole problem. this is a case of systemic failure. can discipline be enforced? perhaps, if the traffic police is willing. the newly appointed cp, delhi says the indisciplined buses will not be tolerated on delhi roads anymore. he says the delhi police are gearing up to prevent such accidents. he disallows overtaking by bus, and says the police is installing cctv's (closed circuit televisions) to monitor traffic better.
law enforcement is good and needed, but given the dismal traffic situation in delhi we would probably need a traffic policeman per vehicle to fill in for the missing conscience that the drivers leave at home. it is also up to each one of us to do our bit to save our skins. for starters, we can follow the age-old paradigm of looking left and right before we cross, not leave our lives at the mercy of the drivers. this applies not to pedestrians alone, but to all 2, 3 and 4-wheelers who are all too eager to climb one on top of another. that might help save a few lives, while we wait for the uniform to take charge.
the superstitious among us, who believe color makes all the difference, can think again. red or not, the bluelines continue to kill. if you're ever in delhi, be sure to keep away. you're probably ok taking these buses, but if you're off, you're likely to get run over. an article in the express newsline today listed the number of blueline fatalaties as 69 in '07. this year is no exception. the number was 100 last year, and higher still, the previous. and these are just the incidents that have been reported. not all errant drivers have been arrested/punished either. many of them were found absconding after the act. whether they were ever caught and put behind bars is anyone's guess.
this woeful association with the bluelines is not being shoved under the carpet, by any means. there are articles a-plenty on lives claimed, the many road accidents, the growing unrest in the minds of the delhi-ites, and action being taken against them by the commissioner of police and the delhi high court. in a recent fitness test drive, 3400 of 3838 bluelines secured red fitness stickers (the numbers vary according to which newspaper you read). it is not known, however, whether the ~400 (3000+ according to other figures) buses that failed the test are off the roads yet. the operators of these buses are also threatening to launch an agitation if their buses are not allowed to run.
the delhi high court asks why the blueline fleet should not be replaced by a "safer" transport system, given the persistent threat to life posed by them. from the test drive statistics above, it appears that the buses themselves are not the sole problem. this is a case of systemic failure. can discipline be enforced? perhaps, if the traffic police is willing. the newly appointed cp, delhi says the indisciplined buses will not be tolerated on delhi roads anymore. he says the delhi police are gearing up to prevent such accidents. he disallows overtaking by bus, and says the police is installing cctv's (closed circuit televisions) to monitor traffic better.
law enforcement is good and needed, but given the dismal traffic situation in delhi we would probably need a traffic policeman per vehicle to fill in for the missing conscience that the drivers leave at home. it is also up to each one of us to do our bit to save our skins. for starters, we can follow the age-old paradigm of looking left and right before we cross, not leave our lives at the mercy of the drivers. this applies not to pedestrians alone, but to all 2, 3 and 4-wheelers who are all too eager to climb one on top of another. that might help save a few lives, while we wait for the uniform to take charge.
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