At 3:15 pm, we realized that our train left at 2:30 pm and we will have to find a different mode of transportation to take us to Cochin. As an obvious choice, taking a long car trip from Kannur to Cochin came downing on us all. 7 hours of travel on Kerala roads, phew! The thought was not a very welcoming one.
The mishap occurred because our ticket booking expert (my sister) confused 1430 hours of railway train with 4:30 pm :( She finally claimed that the confusion came in because the train number was 16306 which she confused with the departure time. :p Anyway finally, we were on our way to Cochin by road at 3:30 pm and then the adventure began.
Traveling on Kerala roads is like playing NFS. You are first exposed to narrow alleys fulls of speeding vehicles, most of them faster than you and all of them angry at you because you have just tried to trespass into their territory. Then roads wind, twist, bank and turn at random points giving the driver a formula one driver experience. Everyone seems to be speeding to catch a leaving plane, they are all honking and screeching, asking you to move faster or give way. All this can be endured but no sane driver will ever want to fight the real monster on Kerala roads - the transport buses. These omnipresent mode of public transportation are typically driven these days by school dropouts with absolutely no sense inside their brains. The drivers are kids aged between 20 - 25 years, ones who have acquired their driving license a few weeks ago. If I was getting a feeling of NFS, I think the bus drivers were trying to create a road rash effect, making the roads hell for everyone around.
The fundamental problem of Kerala roads are much more deeper than the kids and their high seats(bus driver's seats) from which they look down upon the roads. Kerala has very little space for roads but our economy is heavily service driven. We import almost everything and our people travel a lot as part of their jobs. Owning a vehicle is a status symbol here and having a car is a must before you get married. All these adds up to our burgeoning number of vehicles while our roads are still at the widths they were at during British times. Add to it, the obsession housed by most against giving away their land for road and other infrastructure projects and you end up having highly winding roads which nauseates you after a few kilometers.
The problem can be solved only if infrastructure development is tackled in a cleverer manner. The idea of land bonds which was proposed by IIMK to Kerala cabinet was a move in this direction. But like all other great ideas given to government, this also is stuck somewhere beneath those red taped files.
The mishap occurred because our ticket booking expert (my sister) confused 1430 hours of railway train with 4:30 pm :( She finally claimed that the confusion came in because the train number was 16306 which she confused with the departure time. :p Anyway finally, we were on our way to Cochin by road at 3:30 pm and then the adventure began.
Traveling on Kerala roads is like playing NFS. You are first exposed to narrow alleys fulls of speeding vehicles, most of them faster than you and all of them angry at you because you have just tried to trespass into their territory. Then roads wind, twist, bank and turn at random points giving the driver a formula one driver experience. Everyone seems to be speeding to catch a leaving plane, they are all honking and screeching, asking you to move faster or give way. All this can be endured but no sane driver will ever want to fight the real monster on Kerala roads - the transport buses. These omnipresent mode of public transportation are typically driven these days by school dropouts with absolutely no sense inside their brains. The drivers are kids aged between 20 - 25 years, ones who have acquired their driving license a few weeks ago. If I was getting a feeling of NFS, I think the bus drivers were trying to create a road rash effect, making the roads hell for everyone around.
The fundamental problem of Kerala roads are much more deeper than the kids and their high seats(bus driver's seats) from which they look down upon the roads. Kerala has very little space for roads but our economy is heavily service driven. We import almost everything and our people travel a lot as part of their jobs. Owning a vehicle is a status symbol here and having a car is a must before you get married. All these adds up to our burgeoning number of vehicles while our roads are still at the widths they were at during British times. Add to it, the obsession housed by most against giving away their land for road and other infrastructure projects and you end up having highly winding roads which nauseates you after a few kilometers.
The problem can be solved only if infrastructure development is tackled in a cleverer manner. The idea of land bonds which was proposed by IIMK to Kerala cabinet was a move in this direction. But like all other great ideas given to government, this also is stuck somewhere beneath those red taped files.
3 comments:
xcuse me..!!!!...wen da hell did I say tht i gt confusd b/w train num n deprt time..!!!...tht was wht u guys concluded..!!!.nt smtnhg i agreed 2..i still blv tht ter was a spcl train which deprturd at 16.30..!!...may b u guys cudn't find it..:@..:P...
I bet TN bus drivers can beat KL in giving you a better road rash experience :-). But I have to agree they have better road quality compared to all south indian states
Dei update your profile (there's a link to your profile in the right half of your blog)
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