Bangalore is infamous for its crowded roads and lagging infrastructure. With all the ongoing building of 'ring roads' and 'flyovers', India's third-most populous city (6.5 million) and fifth-largest metropolitan area, cannot keep up with its growth. Traffic is visible evidence of that organized chaos.

In Bangalore's traffic there are no rules - except "Don't hit anyone". If you follow any rules, you'll have an accident. I have driven in many major cities in the world - London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paolo - but never in Bangalore; the prospect intimidates me. But, my son David (who lives in Florida) LOVES driving in Bangalore - he thinks its like being in a real, live video game.

Traffic is everywhere - all the streets are jammed most of the day and late into the night. If you want to go about 10 miles, you'll sometimes need an hour. The traffic includes cars, buses, trucks - but most of all, auto-rickshaws, because of the economy and maneuverability. And there are still bullock-carts and occasional cows, but somehow the traffic tolerantly allows for that.

Intersections without light are interesting - the cross-traffic speeds by, while the build-up accumulates behind those waiting. Hardly any honking - just the quickening impatience of the accumulating lineup. If there are gaps in the cross-traffic and the leader is too timid, an autorick or a motorcycle pushes past and blocks the flow, and the traffic surges ahead. This continues, until it switches back, mysteriously - it's a beautiful example of 'chaos theory' at work. I've provided a YouTube link to a recording of an intersection traffic camera. Take a look.

There are 700,000 autoricks in India; 70,000 in Bangalore alone. There are relatively few taxis because they cost more. Besides, 3,4,5 people or more often ride in an autorick; the results are often quite amusing.

Yes, there are probably police-rules, but they must be impossible to enforce. You see police around directing traffic, but they don't - probably can't - inhibit any of the natural results of the over-crowded traffic. I saw a policeman stop someone once, but passers-by yelled at him to "give the guy a break" and he just had to give up. Most people are gentle, helpful and accommodating, by necessity I suppose - no aggressive behavior, except when someone is behaving badly; the crowd is the watchdog.

The $50 taxi drive from the airport to my home in San Diego would cost me about $1.00 in Bangalore. With the cost of fuel (gasoline costs about $7.50 a gallon) how is this possible? I quizzed Kumar, the autorick driver my sister Clara always uses - we refer to him as her "Rolls Royce" because he's always at her beck and cellphone call. Kumar owns his autorick, cost (used) about $1,500; they can be rented for about $5/day. He pays about $ 100/month for insurance, though he has never had an accident in 15 years. After fuel and all his expenses, he makes about $5-10 a day, depending on how long he wishes to work.

You may have read recently that Indian automaker Tata is introducing the Nano, the world's cheapest car, at a price of 100,000 Rupees ($2,500) bringing car ownership into the reach of tens of millions. The tiny four-door subcompact has a snub nose and a sloping roof, and can fit five people - if they squeeze. The basic version has no radio, no passenger-side mirror and only one windshield wiper. Air conditioning comes with the deluxe version. The Nano averages 50 miles per gallon and meets domestic and European emission and safety standards. Tata insists that the Nano will pollute even less than motorcycles.

A Functioning Anarchy: India Traffic:
http://tinyurl.com/2rm67b

Youtube - India Traffic Cam:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=T8Doy_7sOoM&feature=related

Tata Motors rolls out $2,500 car:
http://tinyurl.com/2gvyls