Our Indian Cager Friends

[Flatcap]

A wee rant if I may

I was sitting patiently at the end of a queue of traffic this morning - not even lane splitting as I was early for work for a change - when lo and behold one of our Indian cager friends decided to do a bit of lane splitting himself...squeezed beside me and the lane to the left.

My position was the standard right wheel track so there was not much room at all. Stupid sod then then tries to pull in right in front of me, so what else could I do but pull up beside his open window and exclaim "What the fuck do you think you are doing?". All I got from him before the lights changed was "I am being very sorry". He clearly though he was still in Bombay and Western traffic rules did not apply

To make matters worse, I have a heavy head cold and as soon as I put my visor down I let rip with a huge projectile sneeze.

Is it hometime yet?

[Motu]

It's a close run to 2nd for the worst drivers in New Zealand....

[Hitcher]

The best place I have ever seen for cager lane splitting is Buenos Aires. Five marked lanes on the road, nine lines of traffic. Superb!

[Grahameeboy]

It's a close run to 2nd for the worst drivers in New Zealand....

Guy would have had to pass a NZ driving test so guess that makes him 1st with all the other Kiwi drivers..................

Mind you coming back from Auckland meet on Monday and a fellow KB would have got a 1st Rossette.............not too friendly either...

[tracyprier]

Actually you're wrong there. Both Indians and Chinese immigrants are allowed to drive in NZ using only their original (Indian or Chinese) licence for the first 12 months.

Now in my opinion THAT is nuts, LTSA need to wake up to the fact that you do not need to show ANY skill behind the wheel to get a licence in either of those countries.

Guy would have had to pass a NZ driving test so guess that makes him 1st with all the other Kiwi drivers..................

Mind you coming back from Auckland meet on Monday and a fellow KB would have got a 1st Rossette.............not too friendly either...

[Grahameeboy]

Actually you're wrong there. Both Indians and Chinese immigrants are allowed to drive in NZ using only their original (Indian or Chinese) licence for the first 12 months.

Now in my opinion THAT is nuts, LTSA need to wake up to the fact that you do not need to show ANY skill behind the wheel to get a licence in either of those countries.

Sorry...correct........I was assuming he had been here a while but he still has to take a NZ test which was my point........but I guess they have not got any one to look upto so what d'ya expect?

[Lou Girardin]

Actually you're wrong there. Both Indians and Chinese immigrants are allowed to drive in NZ using only their original (Indian or Chinese) licence for the first 12 months.

Now in my opinion THAT is nuts, LTSA need to wake up to the fact that you do not need to show ANY skill behind the wheel to get a licence in either of those countries.

It also means that Kiwis are allowed to drive overseas.
Which is the greater threat?

[Ixion]

He is not as good as the Indian gentleman who created his own traffic jam yesterday morning on the Mt Wellington motorway on ramp.

This is an uphill on ramp (yeah, stupid isn't it), with two initial lanes that quickly merge into one, halfway up the hill, just before a bridge (over a railway line).

The left lane is for traffic turning left onto the ramp, the right lane for traffic turning right ditto. In the morning rush hour both lanes are pretty much fully loaded, but traffic generally merges OK, helped by the fact that there are a lot of trucks - so cars are able to nip into the gaps left by the trucks accelerating more slowly up the hill than cars.

They are also doing road works on the road leading up to the left turn ramp, so the approah road is reduced to one lane.

When I tootled through yesterday, I found traffic backed and stationary WAY back - through several sets of lights and round a few corners. Oh dear, glad I'm not in a cage, wonder what the problem is, soon see as I split my way through.

As I got toward the approach to the left turn onto the ramp (which would take me onto the motorway) I could see that traffic was not moving up the on ramp at all. Complete standstill . Oh dear. Breakdown ? Accident? Much horn blowing was happening.

Split my way up the ramp and all became clear. An Indian gentleman was STOPPED on the ramp, somewhat before the merge point , with his indicator on , motionlessly waiting. And trapped behind HIM, a big truck trailer, too big and slow to be able to get across into the (non stop traffic) right turn lane and get round him. The next car was too far down the ramp to be able to move into the right turn lane (there is an island thing). So everybody had built up behind this blockage.

Helpful chap that I am, I still assumed he must have broken down and a push over to the side was needed. So I tootled up to his window, did the "windy down" signal - "Are you broken down - do you need a push off the road ?" - "Oh No, I am fine, I am just waiting until there is no traffic so I can move over !". Exit Ixion , stage left, shaking his head and muttering - "you'll be waiting a damn long time mate". I've no idea how much longer he stayed there , but I suspect the truck driver may have intervened fairly soon.

EDIT: I am not totally certain he was Indian - I thought he was based on looks, but he could have been something else, Indonesian, Malaysian .

[justsomeguy]

Actually you're wrong there. Both Indians and Chinese immigrants are allowed to drive in NZ using only their original (Indian or Chinese) licence for the first 12 months.

Now in my opinion THAT is nuts, LTSA need to wake up to the fact that you do not need to show ANY skill behind the wheel to get a licence in either of those countries.

I don't know about China/other asian countries.

But I very seriously doubt any of you fellas will last 5 minutes in traffic in a major Indian city.

Sure you may not need to be able to do a reverse handbrake turn to pass your test, but anyone whos been driving even a few months in Indian traffic will not be as bad a driver as you think, if they are, they'd have written off cars and be too scared to drive.

Sure they are extremely ignorant - frustrate the hell out of me when I go home - but they don't have even 1% of the accidents they should have.

[Grahameeboy]

It also means that Kiwis are allowed to drive overseas.
Which is the greater threat?

Ditto........London drivers.....they will eat Kiwi drivers for breakfast........especially if they jump red lights as they do....but but Officer why don't lights take 30 seconds to change..I could have got through otherwise.........

[Grahameeboy]

I don't know about China/other asian countries.

But I very seriously doubt any of you fellas will last 5 minutes in traffic in a major Indian city.

Sure you may not need to be able to do a reverse handbrake turn to pass your test, but anyone whos been driving even a few months in Indian traffic will not be as bad a driver as you think, if they are, they'd have written off cars and be too scared to drive.

Sure they are extremely ignorant - frustrate the hell out of me when I go home - but they don't have even 1% of the accidents they should have.

Too true.......but of course Kiwi's drive as if they are the only one on the road so India would be a wee shock eh??

[MisterD]

Now in my opinion THAT is nuts, LTSA need to wake up to the fact that you do not need to show ANY skill behind the wheel to get a licence in either of those countries.

I have an Indian colleague (no names, no pack drill) who to be quite honest scares the living beejeezus out of me when I've been a passenger in their cage. She passed our driving test with no problem at all though, so exactly how much skill do you need to demonstrate here?

[justsomeguy]

Too true.......but of course Kiwi's drive as if they are the only one on the road so India would be a wee shock eh??

Hehe, it was a shock for me too when I last visited as I learnt to drive here.

It's good that you fellas obey the road rules (99% of the time) as they are there for good reason and protect us from each other.

Driving in a place like Bombay is tolerable if you have a strong heart, but Delhi - .

[Swoop]

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?". All I got from him before the lights changed was "I am being very sorry". .

You let him get away???

"I am being velly f#king solly for this panel damage now being inflicted to your monkey cage..."

[Grahameeboy]

I have an Indian colleague (no names, no pack drill) who to be quite honest scares the living beejeezus out of me when I've been a passenger in their cage. She passed our driving test with no problem at all though, so exactly how much skill do you need to demonstrate here?

Exactly..........nuff said eh.....the winner is