Exploring India – Part 4
The opening sequence of the classic Ron Livingston starer “Office Space” (1999, Mike Judge), succinctly depicts the popular saying – “the other queue always moves faster”. I always remember this sequence when I see motorists trying a variety of tricks to change lanes at toll plazas on Indian highways. The drivers display daring skills to exit lanes, make lateral moves towards other lanes, mostly blocking the movement in both the lanes and causing an instant commotion – honking and showering of expletives. The show is quite entertaining, if you are not in a rush; else it is annoying and dismaying at the same time. As a regular driver on the highways and expressways, I can vouch that the system of toll collection still needs tremendous improvement – both in terms of operations as well as the method. Inefficient operations and faulty methods have nullified significant part of the benefits of infrastructure upgrade and Fastag payments. Many highway users have also expressed their dissati...