Granted, I've never driven a car here, but riding a bike is hard enough. Things you have to dodge:
- cows, goats, dogs, ducks
- men carrying/selling vegetables and other items
- cars
- rickshaws
- autorickshaws
- men pulling 2-wheeled push carts
- horses pulling 2-wheeled push carts
- pedestrians (sidewalks are horrible, if there are any)
- carrier trucks
- buses
- bike riders
- elephants (only occasionally)
- protesting groups marching down the middle of the street
- construction workers
In our city of 2 million people, there is one sole traffic light, and no stop signs. If we're lucky, at some 3-way points there might be a police-man directing traffic. If we need to make a turn (or cross the street), we're pretty much on our own to squeeze our way in whenever there is a 2-foot space between cars. Honking is very important here (or on a bicycle ringing the bell). If you are riding down the road and there is anything within 6 inches of the vehicle/bike, you must honk to let them know you are coming and to get out of the way. In other words, honking is a continuous ordeal here, not just when someone's driving is annoying you. There are no lines on the road, and it wouldn't matter if there are. They can easily make a 4-lane road an 8-lane road. So, every time I get on my bike, I say a little prayer - "Lord get me there alive!"
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You're absolutely right, there are no road rules here! A wise man Dave and I lovingly call Yoda once explained it to us like this. In the States we have an intermediary - signs, lines, lights, etc. And we look to those for what we can or can't do or where we can/can't go. But here in India there is no intermediary - driving is relational. We look to ALL the other people (and cows, dogs, and donkeys *sigh*) around us on the road. You have to honk to let the other people know you're coming up behind them. You have to flail your arm to let folks know which way you're going to turn. And probably most importantly - get out of the way of anything bigger than you!
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