Traffic in Mumbai

Last night I went to a friends book launch. Go out and get your copy of “Operation Lipstick” today!

The book launch was in Juhu (B). I work in Bandra East (A).

As you can see it was 11.5 kms (7 miles) away from my office. It took about 80 minutes to get there! (Google maps has no concept of the magnitude of traffic in Mumbai, as you can see they predict it’s a 20 minute ride).

The traffic is the worst part of Mumbai. It is really isolating as it makes me reluctant to go anywhere. Unfortunately, the roads are in pretty poor condition (with the exception of the highways) so even when moving it is an unpleasant bumpy ride.

Mumbai has developed quite organically so roads and buildings and everything else were added on to existing infrastructure as the need arose. There seems to be very little pre-planning to the development of the city. And the locals will be the first to tell you that the infrastructure in Mumbai is dismal. In the past 10 years the city has seen a spike in population as those in rural areas have flooded the city in hopes of higher income. The city can’t handle the population today. In fact the demand for housing means rent rates are close to what I see in Manhattan.

Thankfully I have a wonderful place to live and an easy, short commute so I have very little need to travel. When I do venture out I can easily occupy myself with books and other distractions on my phone, no matter how slowly we are progressing. Everyone in the city understands the trials of the road system, so being late is not something to worry about.

Many locals realize the time “lost” to traffic and employ a driver so they can sit in the back and read or sleep during their commute. Further, many locals don’t want to navigate the confusing streets and crazy drivers. Labor, as you know, is quite cheap in India, so a driver costs in the magnitude of $10-$12 per day.

Since my first week here my company has offered to find me a car and driver for my stay here. Well, 2+ months later we have nailed down the details (another example of not worrying about time). The cost is $750 per month and work would pick up half of that, so I would pay $375 per month plus gas. A colleague here in a similar situation pays $200 per month and therefore $375 seems quite steep. Given that my 80 minute ride last night only cost $3 I can’t rationalize $375/ month, even if that means I don’t have to worry about hailing cabs and will always be in air conditioning.

I know this is the only time in my life that I will ever have the opportunity to have my own driver- which may be reason enough alone to get one, yet I am going to pass.