Monday, March 15, 2010

Signal !! Cautious time from Red to Green !!

Yesterday I was riding from kormangala to Hebbal around 7 in evening. It took me more than an hour to ride just 13 kilometers. On my way I would have encountered 5-6 signals, the worst one was near Richmond road. When I reached this signal, first I though that there is some traffic jam, the signal was outta my sight, but later got to know its signal with traffic moving with frequent interval of time. During my 3-4 min there I observed that almost all the bikers have there vehicle engines ON. (Donno if they take pride saying that they have lotta petrol in there tank or money in pocket) Whatever but the ultimate the fact remains same: Wastage of petrol. No wonder We have petrol prices rising every year (oops !! rising every quarter :)).
I don't know why do people keep there engines ON, when the timer is still showing 128 secs. Probably people are not aware of the halke-fulke time passes. (Calling/smsing there girlfriend, seeing sexy banners around with hot models on them, looking around for some new fresh faces, reading some cool quotes on other bikers t-shirt (Careful on this u might end up in weird situation), for chain smokers a puff of smoke may be and lots more from some really creative people) Anyways keeping all this crap apart, I just wanted to analyze this complete situation at traffic signals. (Yeah Indians love analyzing, from budget to cricket to finance to movies, u name it and Indians would have analyzed it).
Bangalore has 15lacs vehicles out f which 70% are 2 wheelers i.e. approx. 10 lacs (http://www.bangaloretrafficpolice.gov.in/bangalore_traffic.htm) (Yeah its always safe to start with fact before going ahead with your crap analysis). 70% of them would be running on roads every day. Considering so many traffic signal in Bangalore, on an average each vehicle would be stopping for 10 mins on a signal and 70% of them wouldn't be turning of those vehicles is what I have observed (Yeah I like assuming 70% but that's what my rough observation is). So cumulative idle time would be (10 lacs * 70% * 70 % * 10min ) = approx 50,00,000 min. Now On an average 2 wheeler give an average of 40km/liter and may be 50 km/ hr so nearly 100000 liters of petrol wasted. This is the story about just one city imagine about those 10 metro cities of India, so just considering some top cities of India is wasting 1000k petrol on traffic signals (I am not a field analyst, neither I am great at estimating and have done a thorough study of these number, so I take 50% variance, still tat 500k wastage of petrol in a single day just in top 10 cities of India is a significant number) whoa? (The numbers of 4 wheelers and heave automotive vehicles apart just to keep it simple :))
I just don't wanna tell you the problem I think exists, almost everyone knows it. (Education infrastructure is not good, roads are bad, this is wrong that is crap, accepted, but whats the solution?) We Indians are experts in giving free advice (Probably that the only free thing in India :), here even a bar vendor gives tips to FM for budget, an ex- cricketer who never scored century likes giving special notes to Tendulakar about shot selection, one who never got married will give tips about girls selection) so I don't think, I am committing any crime by suggesting some special tips to traffic police head by myself.
First, I would suggest dept. to make a rule about switching off the vehicle at signal. Yeah those fat ass traffic cops who stand just after signal hiding behind some tree so that if any one breaks signal they can have there share of money from the guy (Isn't it like, a beautiful girl in front of standing in front of you and her boyfriend is not visible to you). Instead, Why don't these buggers just stand before the signal and have watch over if everyone has turned of the vehicle and fine those who don't follow it. (Quite tough but not impossible to do) Second, Yeah some guys can really complain (Indians love complaining to any damn thing) that they have ti kick their vehicle again and again when the signal fellas are moving slowly. Yeah here come s a second rule from me. All the new 2 wheelers models getting launched in India must have auto start functionality in it. Yes that would make people at least turn off there bikes. Yeah there would be still some dumb asses who will refrain from rotating there hand by 30 degrees to switch off bikes but u just cant help them. With our government taking some bold steps on these front I am sure, India would save a lot of petrol in year and who knows petrol prices would come back again in control due to decrease in demand fro India. More and above this, why stop and wait government to make those impulsive rule and start following it ourselves as rule for saving petrol (Yeah, Indians don't do it unless they are forced to do it but its time to change)
And if we don't continue following it, the day is not far enough when the advertisement of Save Fuel on TV where a son tells his father that he would like to be a cycle repairman in future, as the way we are wasting petrol in signals, there wouldn't be any petrol left in future, becomes fact of life !!!
P.S. Suggest if any other ideas you have, to stop this petrol wastage crime at signals

1 comment:

Unknown said...

lets start riding a bicycle yaar....you don't know the high that you feel when you complete such an arduous tasks