Gap Analysis Delhi-ishtyle

I first learnt about gap analysis on I-5 on the wide freeway that runs through Southern California. On the long ride from Los Angeles to San Diego - one can keep an eye on the beach or one can watch for all the gaps or variances in traffic patterns in any particular lane. These variances or gaps offer you the opportunity to pull ahead of the crowd.

According to Salim, the master of gap analysis on the CA Freeways, gap analysis makes the otherwise long and stressful drive a game, a challenge that makes the time melt away.

By the way, I disagree. I think gap analysis and its consequences take away from the sheer pleasure of driving along the coast - but then that is only the opinion of a passenger.

As is the following - cos even after having lived in Delhi for 2.5 years I will not drive on the streets of Delhi. Though I must say I am starting to become increasingly familiar with how things work.

But first a word about ishtlye - yes you might find buried in there the word style - but that is just the way the high faluting anglicized minority say it. If you are a true local that went to the is-school, then you have ish-style and ish-attitude and ish-savvy (ok plain attitude and savvy) that helps you survive and thrive in this city. The only thing that I as an outsider have is envy for the people who do.

So back to Gap Analysis. In Southern California - the highway has a median, 10 clearly marked lanes, and a homogenous collection of traffic - hondas, chevys, fords, toyotas, pickup trucks, sedans, buses, SUVs, freight trucks. There is a lot of opportunity for gaps, and it is upto the watchful driver to find and take advantage of the same.

In Delhi - Gap Analysis goes to a whole new level.

It isn't like there is 1 extra dimension , or even 2 . yes, there are 10 lanes - none of them clearly marked.

As a matter of fact only 2 are clearly marked - the rest are created by ingenious drivers. Some of them are not even paved and may include driving over emergency lanes, sidewalks, bike paths, dirt, rocks, stones, garbage and sometimes , regretably, a dog or cow. The rows resemble a brick wall more so than they do a traffic lane as cars wedge themselves into every available spot. The lanes are not discernible from the ground - but I am sure you would see them if you flew high enough up into the air.

The traffic is homogenous - trucks, sedans, SUVs, buses (killer and DTC) and then for a twist - motorcycles, scooters, bicycles (motorized and not), auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, hand carts, push carts, jugaads (locomotive engine attached to a container to hold people. animals or material), people.

This is compounded by the fact that some of Delhi's legal and illegal encroachments try to compete for a space on the road with the automobiles. Perhaps some ambitious person hopes to get these to participate in the traffic as well. The government has other plans and is trying to condemn and demolish them.

So in this complex sea of automobiles... pulling ahead, making right turns, exiting and entering a highway - all these would be huge challenges for the uninitiated. But there is a syshtem.. that takes my breath away (literally).

Just as in the jungle every type of animal has a role to play in the overall ecosystem, so it is on the streets of Delhi.

So for example consider how a right turn is made. The big truck or SUV inches towards the intersection offering blockage from people trying to pass on the right. The smaller cars line up to its right forming another barrier that extends a little ahead and behind. To its right the motorcycles, scooters and bicycles pull forward forcing the oncoming traffic to slow down - then the big guys all pull into the intersection and you have flow !!!

Everybody moves at about 5 mph (yes lots of burnt clutch plates in this city) so if there is a little nick here a dent there - no big deal - no real risk to life. Occasionally a limb gets entangled - but that is the price you pay.

Similarly the gaps - the little guys work in tandem with the big guys to create and open up the pathways - blaze new trails - and magically all available (sometimes unavailable) space is consumed forcing the traffic forward.

And they are all very comfortable with this friendly mix operating in chorus. Take one of the pieces away and you have utter chaos.

Like the one day I saw this motorcycle landlocked in a sea of buses. It was astounding... motorcycles and bikes usually manage to get out of everything but the buses were wedged so tight there wasn't anyway the bike could get out short of hoisting it atop a bus.

The problem we realized was that traffic had been very light that morning. In fact there was no traffic on the opposite side of the road. So a few people decided that that just was not right. It was far too big a gap to waste. The road had to be filled. And so they decided to travel north on a south-bound highway. This worked extremely well until some south bound cars entered the south highway. This raised the game to yet another level as now south and north bound cars traversed both sides of the highway and we had grid lock. Then a bunch of civic minded citizens had to get into the intersection and help the traffic cops sort it out.

Fortunately this is not a frequent occurrence - about 4 times in 2.5 years !!! Yes Gap Analysis in Delhi is a far more sophisticated excercise than anything in Southern California. It will be years before the Americans comprehend or catch up with it !!