Before coming to Nepal, I thought that traffic in New York City and Boston was the worst. I also felt that drivers in Florida were the scariest. And, in my opinion, the highways of Michigan could use some repair. My impressions have changed drastically over the past few weeks in Nepal. New York City and Boston now seem like a “drive in the park.” Michigan highways now seem as smooth as a baby’s bottom. And Florida drivers seem idyllic. In other words, driving and traffic in Nepal is a terrifying, quite unpleasant experience.
My first driving experience in Nepal was on my way to the Guesthouse from the airport. While it was pitch black (load shedding period) and there were few other cars on the road, I could tell right away that traffic laws were not enforced (or abided) as stringently in Nepal as they are in the United States. This was confirmed the following morning on my walk to work, when I realized there was really just a (semi) organized chaos to driving the streets of Nepal. The following are distinct differences I have noticed between traffic/driving in Nepal and in the United States.
1. Everything. Enough said.
2. Lane markings. There are no lane markings on the streets differentiating traffic traveling in different directions. Traffic tends to stay on the left side of the road. Well, at least this is where they are supposed to be. However, if another car is traveling too slowly, cars take it upon themselves to pass other vehicles – in to oncoming traffic. It’s quite the adventure, especially when you are sitting in the front seat.
3. Parking areas. There are also no markings to differentiate areas designated for parking versus those areas designated for driving; therefore, the open road is a free-for-all when it comes to finding a place to park. This goes for one-lane roads, as well. This makes traveling on these roads quite difficult, especially when a large truck feels the need to “pull over” and park on a one-lane road to unload its enormous amount of cargo.
4. Utilization of the horn. Stating that Nepalis use their horns liberally is an understatement. They drive with one hand on the gear-shifter and another hand on the horn. The horn is used as a primary means of communication from one driver to the next. It is often times used to signal to the other drivers/motorbikes/bikers/pedestrians/other random things in the road, “Hey, I’m beside you. Watch out.” It can also mean “Drive faster,” “Please move over,” or, after all of the above-mentioned comments have failed, “Move it man! Get the f*** out of my way!” Although it is rather disturbing to my non-accustomed ears and makes walking on the roads quite unpleasant, it seems to work well for the drivers here.
5. Types of transportation on the roads. The roads are shared by a great deal of transportation – cars, trucks, busses, motorbikes, scooters, bicycles, rickshaws, electric buggies, pedestrians, dogs, and anything else you can think of. It makes for an interesting (and rather smelly and smoggy) potpourri.
6. Seatbelts. Seatbelts are not really used in Nepal. I have yet to find a working seatbelt in the backseat of a taxi. The interesting point here, however, is that a recent law was passed in Nepal that requires the driver of vehicles to wear a seatbelt. They can actually be ticketed if spotted not wearing their seatbelts; therefore, the taxi drivers keep one eye on traffic and the other eye out for police. If they spot a police officer, they do a quick swoop to the left side of the road, stop the car, put on their seatbelt, and dive back in to traffic.
7. Passenger restrictions. These don’t exist in Nepal, either. I have seen a family of five on a single motorbike – and this doesn’t include the infant swaddled and wrapped in the mother’s arms. People are often hanging off the side of the busses or out the doors if there are no more seats inside. And if that’s not even an option? You can always ride on the roof…
8. Pedestrian’s rights. These don’t exist in Nepal, either. It’s more like “vehicular rights.” If you are a pedestrian, you better watch out for all of the other vehicles on the road. If you want to cross the road and you are at a crosswalk, think carefully before stepping a toe out in the road with oncoming traffic. Crosswalks mean nothing. And the traffic is so crazy here that it is nearly impossible to cross the entire road at one time; therefore, you have to cross to the midway point, wait in the middle of the street as cars, motorbikes, and busses blare their horns and zoom on by, say a prayer that you won’t get hit by a stray vehicle, and finally cross to the safety of the other side of the road when cross-traffic has lightened.
9. Potholes. I never understood the true meaning of potholes until I came to Nepal. Our worst roads seem immaculate compared to most of the roads here in Nepal. Potholes are large enough to swallow cars whole. Very few roads are paved; and even those roads that were once paved are pocked with massive holes and are completely broken-down due to the massive monsoons that happen every year. There are often large parts of roads that have been previously washed-out by the monsoon rains and have only been filled in with small amount of rocks or dirt – which subsequently wash away with the next rain. The road to anywhere is very bumpy and jostling. If you are traveling further than 10-15 kilometers, you want to come prepared with a barf bag and Dramamine…
10. Stop signs or traffic lights. I can count the number of traffic lights I have seen in Nepal on a single hand. And I haven’t seen a single stop sign. So what does a vehicle do when it comes to a cross section? Why it’s simple, really. Just blare the horn and jut out in to oncoming traffic. They will usually stop…
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