9 Jul 2004

Moment of Bliss

Posted by Oblivion in General | 9:27pm


It was the dead of night when I decided to stop by, after five hours of uninterrupted drive, at a dhaba to have a cup of garam chai. No vehicle in sight on either side of the straight, long road. The moon was full and the sky glowed with a heavenly radiance, with stars strewn all across it at random.

We were five of us. Friends. Three of them took out the box of cigarettes and lighted their way to glory. All of us were damn tired. It was the most pleasant of breezes that filled the air. The trio arranged themselves comfortably on the rope-made cots. Rakesh, not at all quiet otherwise, became quite quiet as he sat down on the wooden bench, seeming to appreciate the beauty of the sky. And I reclined on the other wooden bench and looked up. The wonderful sky, splattered with the golden stars and that gorgoeus light of the full moon!!

That was my moment of bliss last week. What's yours?



Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: ---

9 Jul 2004

Fundas of Good Driving

Posted by Oblivion in General | 3:49am


Recently, while an article about Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) made interesting reading, it makes me wonder if it would work beyond a threshold of traffic density, or in conditions of unorganised traffic. Traffic in most parts of the metros and the country at large, in India, does not yield to any mathematical analysis, courtesy the overtly mismatching ratio of vehicular population to the road length. Accidents are common, and traffic jams are accepted as inevitable part of the drive. With hardly any breathing space for vehicles - effectively meaning the least headway* possible -, it demands an unfailing and continuous alertness on the part of drivers.

It would be, to my mind, certainly interesting to see the recommendations of Dr Davis's computer model for such a scenario. Meanwhile, I find three factors that would, if rightly followed, help avoid jams and accidents in almost any kind of traffic -

1. Maintaining linear trajectories
2. Anticipating the speed of other objects on road accurately, and perhaps most importantly
3. A cool head
 
Anticipation seems to be the key. All animals are good at anticipating the time and distance of an approaching vehicle. The more accurate one's anticipation, the safer his drive will be. And this becomes easier if everyone maintains linear trajectories - the model followed in the speed-lane system. So, now should it start with the realisation on the part of drivers or with the authorities widening the roads and devising a more strict traffic code? The former is possible and easy. The latter involves a lot of urban re-planning and money.
 
*Headway is the gap, measured in seconds, that a driver puts between himself and the car ahead


Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: ---
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