Traffic Woes

A motorist saw a friend walking down a street in Bangkok, and offered him a lift. "No thanks, I'm in a hurry," the pedestrian replied.

In New York, the best way to solve the parking problem for the new motorist is to buy a parked car.

Let us take solace that Jakarta is still far behind Bangkok and New York in this respect. But unfortunately economic success these days is also measured in terms of traffic jams.

Traffic congestion is really getting bad in the capital. We cannot reach our destination on time nor counter the lengthy, predictable delay. If we think that traffic in other alternative routes will be smooth, we are sadly mistaken. The problem is everywhere. As far as the time spent is concerned, traffic doesn't differentiate between the rich and poor. Traffic is certainly the greatest leveler of wealth. With the only difference being degree, everyone's time is equally wasted in traffic.

The hardest work is to do nothing -- that's what happens when we get stuck in traffic. It's a problem though, but it's also an opportunity. We must take advantage of every opportunity. Don't we get additional two to three hours every day, held up in traffic? Instead of criticizing or feeling dejected over traffic jams, can we get some extra "mileage" out of the traffic chaos? We should try and "get ahead" of others, if not in traffic, at least in life.

Time is precious. Time is money. We all know it. There are a lot of ideas one can think of, for utilizing the extra time at our disposal. For a start, we can have breakfast in the car. We may plan the day's agenda of work. We may get back to the joy of reading. We may listen to music -- as long as it is not jarring to the drivers' ears. We can do breathing exercises. We can try to relax, may even go to sleep. The opportunities are really endless.

But remember, for God's sake -- nay, for our sake -- we must go to the toilet before getting into our cars. I have seen drivers literally rushing off to the nearest toilet the moment they reach their destination.

Time is what we want most but what we use worst.

D. CHANDRAMOULI

Jakarta