Mumbai commuters tweet their way out of traffic jams this monsoon
Till about a month ago, AbdulsalamShaikh felt he must be the only one to get caught in traffic jams daily on the Western Express Highway. Now,Shaikh tweets his woes to fellow commuters to get some sympathy and also alternative travel routes for his daily drive from Mira Road toLokhandwala.
"Through Twitter, I found another road that helps me avoid the endless wait at signals," says Shaikh, the director of an event management company. Plus, it's comforting for him to know that he is not alone. As monsoon continues to throw travel plans out of gear, there is quite a bit of social media traffic driven by Mumbaikars posting travel tips or venting their ire at civic agencies.
"Things haven't changed much but it is a relief to plan my journey," says 35-year-old Shaikh. Nisarg Mehta from Andheri uses social media to simplify his commute, which could, involve a ride in an auto, bus or Metro before he boards a local train to reach his office in Lower Parel. "If there is a jam, I ditch the rickshaw for a Metro ride to the nearest suburban station," says the 27-year-old graphic designer.
Once the planning is done, it is time to tweet. Unless the messages are informative or insanely funny, not many endorsements via retweets happen, especially if there are too many cuss words and exclamation points. Timely tweets like "Traf****ed link road Santacruz-Khar..heavyyy rainfall!!" get shared with mildly acerbic ones like, "Spotting a tiger in wildlife is far more easier than spotting an empty #rickshaw in #Andheri".
In fact, on the days when it rained heavily in July, Twitter handles of traffic app developers got more complaints and suggestions about clogged roads and potholes. "On an average we get about 100 reactions, including retweets and mentions, on our Twitter handle. But on the days when it rains during the rush hour, we get 10 to 15 times more," says Raxit Sheth, founder of SmartMumbaikar, which offers a carpooling service. On July 15 and 31, exceptionally rainy days, the activity around @smartmumbaikar handle went up by 80 times.
It is the volume of chatter that prompted Birds Eye Systems, which is behind the real-time traffic information website Traffline, to have a timeline on their mobile phone app. "The timeline integrates updates from the app users, social media, and the traffic police control room," says Ameya Kolambekar, head of marketing and digital media. The Twitter handle @trafflinemum, which started a year ago, has now become an important tool to crowdsource information about accidents and jams. "People like to talk about traffic. When you crib on social media, chances are there will be others cribbing with you," says Kolambekar.
It's not all empty chatter as some of these interactions have positive effects. According to a US study, inefficient and long commutes increases stress levels. But it is possible to feel upbeat when you are connected to a community of travelers and is in better control of your journey.
The bigger high for these Mumbaikars is in knowing that they help others, even offline. Mehta guides a cousin, who drives from Andheri to his office in Vashi, as he is not a "Twitter person". Shaikh tweets to radio jockeys about the details of a snarl so they could announce it. He also halts at signals to warn traffic wardens about pile-ups ahead. Talk about killing two birds with some tweets.
Till about a month ago, AbdulsalamShaikh felt he must be the only one to get caught in traffic jams daily on the Western Express Highway. Now,Shaikh tweets his woes to fellow commuters to get some sympathy and also alternative travel routes for his daily drive from Mira Road toLokhandwala.
"Through Twitter, I found another road that helps me avoid the endless wait at signals," says Shaikh, the director of an event management company. Plus, it's comforting for him to know that he is not alone. As monsoon continues to throw travel plans out of gear, there is quite a bit of social media traffic driven by Mumbaikars posting travel tips or venting their ire at civic agencies.
"Things haven't changed much but it is a relief to plan my journey," says 35-year-old Shaikh. Nisarg Mehta from Andheri uses social media to simplify his commute, which could, involve a ride in an auto, bus or Metro before he boards a local train to reach his office in Lower Parel. "If there is a jam, I ditch the rickshaw for a Metro ride to the nearest suburban station," says the 27-year-old graphic designer.
Once the planning is done, it is time to tweet. Unless the messages are informative or insanely funny, not many endorsements via retweets happen, especially if there are too many cuss words and exclamation points. Timely tweets like "Traf****ed link road Santacruz-Khar..heavyyy rainfall!!" get shared with mildly acerbic ones like, "Spotting a tiger in wildlife is far more easier than spotting an empty #rickshaw in #Andheri".
In fact, on the days when it rained heavily in July, Twitter handles of traffic app developers got more complaints and suggestions about clogged roads and potholes. "On an average we get about 100 reactions, including retweets and mentions, on our Twitter handle. But on the days when it rains during the rush hour, we get 10 to 15 times more," says Raxit Sheth, founder of SmartMumbaikar, which offers a carpooling service. On July 15 and 31, exceptionally rainy days, the activity around @smartmumbaikar handle went up by 80 times.
It is the volume of chatter that prompted Birds Eye Systems, which is behind the real-time traffic information website Traffline, to have a timeline on their mobile phone app. "The timeline integrates updates from the app users, social media, and the traffic police control room," says Ameya Kolambekar, head of marketing and digital media. The Twitter handle @trafflinemum, which started a year ago, has now become an important tool to crowdsource information about accidents and jams. "People like to talk about traffic. When you crib on social media, chances are there will be others cribbing with you," says Kolambekar.
It's not all empty chatter as some of these interactions have positive effects. According to a US study, inefficient and long commutes increases stress levels. But it is possible to feel upbeat when you are connected to a community of travelers and is in better control of your journey.
The bigger high for these Mumbaikars is in knowing that they help others, even offline. Mehta guides a cousin, who drives from Andheri to his office in Vashi, as he is not a "Twitter person". Shaikh tweets to radio jockeys about the details of a snarl so they could announce it. He also halts at signals to warn traffic wardens about pile-ups ahead. Talk about killing two birds with some tweets.
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