Hi, it's me again.
This will be a letter full of reflections on traffic because there’s sooo much to say about it. I’m sure I could easily fill an entire letter.

Things I (with a bit of irony, of course) wonder about:
Why do they paint lines on the road? In Sweden, the lines show you where to drive, but here they seem to have no significance at all. Maybe just for decoration 😄
The same thoughts go for traffic lights, one-way streets, and whether it’s supposed to be right- or left-hand traffic.

I knew about the cows on the streets beforehand, but it’s still surprising when suddenly a cow and its calf are standing in the middle of the highway. Or, well, maybe you can’t really call it a highway. Not as we imagine them anyway. Because apart from sometimes having oncoming traffic on your side of the road, a truck can also stop for a nap. The local bus even pulls over and drops off people where the “highway” passes through a village. So, the road is crossed by pedestrians, motorcycles, rickshaws, tractors, dogs, cows, and just about everything else.

And motorcycles seem to be the family vehicle of choice. Yes, I said family, because they often seem to carry the whole family. Alternatively, they’re used as mini cargo vehicles, carrying 6 large milk cans, 4 sacks of rice, or a huge pile of hay. There really doesn’t seem to be a limit to what you can transport on a motorcycle. Helmets do exist, but mostly only for the driver.

Then there’s the honking. I’ve learned that it doesn’t usually mean someone is angry at another driver; it’s more like saying “Here I come,” “I’m passing you now,” “Can you let me in ahead of you?” or “You’ll have to back up so I can get through.”

A lot of roadwork is also going on here in India, but the safety measures for the poor workers leave a lot to be desired. Sometimes there might be a rope stretched between a few cones, but most of the time it’s just some bricks lying on the road to let you know not to drive there.
Another thing is that between the lanes, there’s often a sudden gap where you can make a U-turn and get to the right side to take an exit. Totally crazy.

What about taking a walk in the city then? I’ve only tried this in smaller towns, but I think the rule is like when you're out on a boat. You just maintain your course and speed. Don’t run across or suddenly change direction. We’ll see if that works when I get back to Delhi.

What else…? Oh yes, many trucks are painted in yellow/orange/green with decorations and often have the words “BLOW HORN” written on them, along with fluttering cloths or small tassels hanging around.

This isn’t just about the traffic, but being in India sometimes feels like stepping into a time machine. A barefoot woman might walk by, carrying a sack of rice on her head, while an electric car silently glides past.

Finally, I can conclude that despite the chaotic traffic, everything somehow flows like a well-oiled machine. (Well, a quick Google search tells me that India tops the statistics for traffic fatalities.) I also conclude that you probably shouldn’t be the anxious type if you plan to travel around in India. So, maybe not for you after all…

Talk soon!
// Kristina