I'm happy not to drive in Delhi...
Traffic in Delhi is something unbelievable with more and more cars every time (according to Indian Times there are around 2 million vehicles only in Delhi) - traffic jam, beeping and a very interesting driving logic :)
There are cars, auto-rickshaws, bikes and people everywhere. It happen to us more than once to drive with a normal car on the pedestrian road and we were not the only ones doing it. Everyone is beeping all the time but it's a friendly way of beeping, more like "beep beep", not aggressively "beeeeeep" like in many other countries, but still it does make a lots of noise. And of course, pollution is really heavy - air is full of smog and even if you see that the sky is all gray, you realise to what point it's bad only when you get out of there.
Traffic jam - an exercise in patience
Let's hope that the new metro will be ready soon and help up the situation... And anyway, once you are in the traffic jam, there is no need to get upset or worried, but just to relax and accept that you will be late - a good exercise in patience. And maybe people living there are so use to the pollution and all the noise and then waiting in a traffic jam is finally a good occasion to have a nap... :)
I guess everything is relative..
So coming back from India, I was hit by the silence in Budapest, while just 2 months ago I came back from a 2 weeks trip to Sweden, and I had bad head ace for a few days due to pollution and the noise of the city with cars, sirens, and people shouting made me really tired.
During the few days I was in Budapest before leaving again, I didn't completely get use to the silence - so I enjoyed it a lot, what a nice feeling it is to have a rest for the ears even in a big city.
Also here in Miri, it seems calm, no street noise is reaching my hotel room at the 10th floor... me and my ears are so far having a rest :)
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Its interesting that you have a feeling of patience in that traffic jam, but what to do? I read somewhere that the speed in european cities now is lower than before the cars come into use. The horses made it faster. So now we are back in a slow pace again. Where I am just now is in i small city and hardly any noise.
ReplyDeleteOh, I meant that it was an exercise in patience because you can only wait. No need to feel stressed about it, late you will be anyhow. For me the traffic noise is not yet a relaxing sound, I would say the contrary...:)
ReplyDeleteinteresting comment on the horses and the speed, I'm sure it's right. Also going by bike in the city is much faster than by car, especially in rush hours.
I don't like the traffic noise at all, anyhow I live right in the middle of a small town in the south of Sweden. The noise here is almost the ambulance going to the hospital not far away, and as I live close to the railway station, I here the caller all day through and sometimes at night also, and the trains and the rail bound green cargo, that is things transported on railway. But I really dont care nowdays. But it is quite another things in towns like Stockholm, Dehli and Budapest, I know. Love from Kersti
ReplyDeleteI think you got use to the sound of trains passing, so even if you may hear them passively they do not disturb you actively.. and sometimes sounds may even make you feel like at home. the babies crying and the TV next door serve that purpose for me somehow..:)
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post but I am missing an analysis of several issues:
ReplyDelete- urban pollution presented in more depth and with exhaustive mention of the negative effects and policy recommendations;
- beeping as a semiotic manifestation in a natural character: you could have identified different beeping patterns, recorded them attached them;
Thank you for constructive comment. :) Especially your second suggestion would have been interesting to explore in depth. However I have been told by blog expert that it is better to keep it focused, but I may consider it for future blog post, or why not for a PhD?
ReplyDelete