I know you’ve been waiting breathlessly for my account of the traffic situation here in Delhi. Let me start with some statistics. Simple statistics. Statistics that I can calculate using only my fingers. To date, I have never seen a stop sign. The reason I am so certain of this is that I am dying to see this particular sign written in Hindi. Yes I do have a collection of photos of stop signs from around the world and the reason I am so certain they are stop signs is that they are the red octagonal shapes with which we are readily familiar. (Less familiar perhaps is the fact that the greater number of sides on a sign, the more critical a message it contains. It’s true. I am FANTASTIC at Trivial Pursuit © US version.) Not one stop sign in this entire city of 13 million. I’m not sure if that is more or less scary than the number of traffic lights I have personally witnessed since my arrival: 6. However, even in the presence of a stop light, I remain reluctant to cross the street, though I have become quite the accomplished jay-walker. Have I mentioned that this is not a pedestrian friendly town?
For your viewing pleasure, I include photos of the ever shifting and largely ignored traffic circle (i.e., rusty barrel) located at the busiest intersection in my neighborhood, a local school bus, my favorite kind of taxi in town, and a warning to those who would park where they are not wanted…
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