Pollution and Traffic

I simply can not describe how polluted the air in the places I have been in Bangalore. It smells ofoil and gas fumes everywhere outside and occasionally inside. I hypothesise that the the reason for the high pollution is multifold. Here are a few reasons:1) A large part of the traffic consists of auto-rickshaws. These things are hard to describe if you have not seen them. They are three-wheeled vehicles with a driver in the front seat and room for two people (maybe 3 if you squeeze) in the back. Driving controls look like a motorcycle in that you have hand brakes and handlebar steering. I don't know about gearshifts, accelerator, etc. But the most important thing about these things is that they have two-cycle engines. Two-cycle engines are lightand cheap, but their big disadvantage is that you mix lubricating oil with the gasoline, and theexhaust thus is somewhat blue and smells of oil. Oh, yes, and the gas mixture does not burn ascompletely as it would in a 4-cycle engine.2) There are lots of diesel trucks. I don't know if they are any worse polluters than diesel trucks in the US, but you can sure smell them.3) There are enormous numbers of cars!4) And thus traffic is slow which means more idling. On top of all this, blowing the horn is a normal part of driving in Bangalore. I don't say that jokingly or with the intent of being facetiously dramatic. Rather than "get out of my way, you jerk" drivers in Bangalore use the horn to mean "be careful, I'm here". Going around a corner? Blow your horn. Going up a ramp? Blow your horn. Changing lanes? You know... So altogether the traffic is very intimidating. You are completely on your own crossing the street as a pedestrian. Try to avoid it. Don't even think about driving. If you follow the rules of driving in the UK or the US, you will be completely out of your league. Just rent a car with a driver; taxis also rent by the hour or day.