The normal response to this question would be.... children's school, their extra-curricular classes, spouse's preferences, office demands, parents' requriements, health ... etc. For the majority of the "mobile" people (atleast for those who drive.... cars) in Dubai or any other "modern" and "fast-growing" city, the response would be...... car parking. The very machine which is supposed to keep us "mobile" is immobilisng us now and governing our life.
The time at which we have to get in for work, the day and time for shopping,....... everything is decided by the availability of parking ... hence we reschedule and smile when we get a parking..... until more like-minded people also reschedule their timings..... and then we reschedule ours.... the day is not far when we may have to do night shifts in the office, because that is the time when free parking is available.. or work from home. I wonder how many business opportunities are being lost because of the parking syndrome.
I used to enjoy hot home-cooked meal for lunch, lovingly made by my wife Bindu, but not anymore. Because it takes me atleast 30 minutes for a 10-km drive home and when I rush back after a quick meal, I do not get parking space. So, I have to contented with a light (probably cold) lunch packed in the morning or from the sandwich store nearby. Thanks to the Vedanta lessons, I take solace under Sankaracharya's verses from Sadhana Panchakam "... swadannam na tu yachyatam vidhivasaat praptena santushyatam"
In earlier days (which are always "good old days"), taxis were easily available, but not anymore. Last month, I nearly missed my flight since I had to wait for about 45 minutes to get a cab in the peak evening hours. Ultimately, I had to request a person (who sprinted faster than me to get into an empty cab), stating that I may miss my flight, in order to get to the airport just in time. Thanks to his generosity and understanding, he kindly vacated the cab for me. Inside the cab, chatting with the driver, I was shocked to know that most of the cabbies who drive cars with manual gear are taking rest during peak hours, due to incessant pain in their left legs! (can't blame them, either). Hence, we can no longer leave our cars "in state" in our residential parking lot (if there is one) and think of taking a cab, to avoid parking problems.
....and when someone in the lift says... "the driving and parking problem is getting worse and the government is not doing anything about this....", we can only smile and probably think.. are we not part of the problem and contributing to it ?
..... oops ! Have to rush now, else I'll miss my "driving corridor" to reach office in 15 minutes.
But my rational mind says... don't rush for worry of missing the parking slot, otherwise you may get parked permanently elsewhere ... Wish you safe driving ... If you were fortunate to find a parking slot today, wish you many many happy returns of the day!
2 comments:
Krishnan,
You are absolutely right about people coming in earlier and earlier in the morning just to secure a parking space. You know what, in a few years we'll come full circle wherein we'll arrive at the office on time!
Is this the price we pay for convenience?
I am sure, however, that if Dubai had an efficient and well connected public transit system, there'd be at least a 40% reduction in traffic on the roads (there are of course some die-hards who will continue using their cars) thereby improving parking conditions. I'd actually prefer to use public transport because its environmentally friendly and works out to be cheaper. It's also convenient and stress-free. When I took the public transit, I used to read the paper going into work in the morning and do the crossword on my way back home!
Excellent blog!
Sarah
In UK and most of the European coutries the morning talk will mostly be about the weather! Now in UAE it is abt 'traffic and parking'. I can confidently say it is we who are responsible for this chaos. Answer the foll questions would make you agree with me.
(1) how many of us have got 2 cars?
(2) how many of us drop and pick our children up from the school?
(3) how many of us go to the school during break to give our children a 'hot' lunch?
Additionaly I would suggest the foll measures: (1) petrol charges should be doubled (2)Companies should provide bus service to their employees and discourage self transport.
K.Easwar.
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