I remember vividly years ago, I saw a video depicting a typical junction of what seems to be an Indian city. It was a mess. There were a lot of cars on the road and the situation was made worse by numerous pedestrians who who walked as if they were taking a stroll in the park, oblivious to the traffic around them.
Also, the traffic lights seemed to have been spoilt, or traffic users completely ignored it. Additionally, no one seemed to abide by traffic rules. There were cars and motorcycles making U-turns as they pleased, refusing to give way, trying to speed, weaving in and out of traffic, making stops by the road... I think by now you get the picture.
That was on a video, and now, fortunately or unfortunately, I get to be part of that experience, because traffic in Pakistan is exactly like what I saw on the video, only worse. Cars, motorcycles and pedestrians are not the only road users here. Oh no, there are also horse-carts, ox-carts and donkey-carts! Good lord! Man, beast and machines sharing the road in a city inhabited by over 6 million people, is a surefire recipe for mayhem and definitely a sight I won't be seeing for some time!
A taxi, kind of like Bangkok's tuk-tuk.
I'm not talking about the occasional horse-cart either, there are easily hundreds of them here, and there are especially numerous in "Old Lahore" - the older parts of Lahore City. With the roads here so congested by vehicles, I can't help by wonder what happens if a car knocks into one of these poor animals?
Oh and remember about the constant power outages? It affects traffic lights too, and in order to control the obscene amount of traffic, up to five traffic police officers are needed for a single junction.
Other than a general sense of direction, driving in Pakistan can best be described as "no holds barred". If you miss a turn, you can either make a U-turn or simply reverse your car to the turn you missed. If your mobile rings and you need to take it, go ahead, no one is going to stop you and there is no need for a hands-free kit. If not, you can always stop by the side of the road. As our driver Jaffar puts it, "you can do almost anything, just don't crash."
Honda sells a lot of cars in Pakistan.
However, despite the chaotic nature of the roads here, I never came across any accidents and more amazingly, traffic jams there are no where near as bad as those here in Singapore. Without ERP gantries [wiki] and seemingly no traffic rules, Pakistan have somehow came up with a road system that just works. Rather than plant ERP gantries as and where they please, the Land Transport Authority of Singapore would do well to pay Pakistan a visit. It is almost miraculous. Of course, it helps that the cars most Pakistanis drive are mid-sized Honda Civics and little Suzuki Mehrans. By the way, Suzuki's Mehran, unsurprisingly, is Pakistan's best-selling car.
Yet another interesting thing about driving in Pakistan is the behavior of motorists. Initially, I got the impression that drivers in Pakistan are an irritable bunch, since they horn at almost anything. It is only later that I realized that horning is a way of life for them and that they horn not to tell other motorists to get out of of their way, rather, it is to warn them of their presence.
Despite the fact that Pakistani roads are rather pleasant, I'm not sure I'm up for driving there. Yes, the motorists might be courteous and yes, it is right-hand drive, however, it is not as easy as it seems.
For one, the roads in Pakistan is like a network of veins, it is so confusing that I doubt a GPS system would be of any help. But most of all, it is the "anything goes" attitude of road users there that puts me off. For someone who learnt to drive in Singapore where everything, including the roads, is neat, orderly and tidy, Pakistan is a whole different ball game. As such, some things are better left to the professionals. In this instance, our driver Jaffar.
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