How to survive as a pedestrian in India

Having spent a few weeks risking life and limb exploring Blore on foot and somehow managing to come out unscathed, I thought I'd share some keys to survival for future would-be pedestrians in India.

1) Look Down
This first rule is a must if you hope to survive the Indian streets. You must approach all sidewalks as obstacle courses. On every journey you may encounter any or all of the following below foot:

1. All kind of debris including garbage, construction materials, stray cow/dog leavings, etc.
2. Broken pavement tiles. The sidewalks have a series of rectangular cement tiles that cover sewers/gutters that run below the sidewalk. These tiles are often broken or missing and a distracted pedestrian is a pedestrian in the gutter. I am convinced these broken/missing tiles have led to the demise of many a blind person in India.
   
3. Uneven pavement. The pavement is often broken or uneven and there is a high probability of tripping if you're not looking down.
   

2) Embrace Walking On The Road
On many of your journeys you will find yourself walking on the road at least part of the way because the sidewalk is often blocked with vendors, construction materials (construction sites often store them on the sidewalk), parked cars, etc. So shrug off your North American sensibilities about walking on the road with traffic zooming by you and embrace walking on the asphalt.

3) Ignore Crosswalks
Just because an intersection has a traffic light, doesn't mean it's in full operation. Many traffic lights merely flash amber (I'm told red and green are only on the job during rush hour on these intersections, although I've yet to see them in action). What does flashing amber mean you ask? To be perfectly frank, I don't know. What I do know is that it is definitely not equivalent to the Canadian flashing red and in no way does it require anyone to stop. Traffic seems to follow the "go if you think you can go" principle.

All of this is to say that although there may be a crosswalk painted on the ground, it means nothing. Ignore crosswalks and follow the same principle as the traffic and "go if you think you can go".

4) Look Both Ways
As you probably know, India has left-hand traffic. This means that as someone who is used to right-hand traffic, you might be afraid that you will look the wrong way when crossing the road. Luckily, in India you actually have to look both ways.

That's right folks. Regardless of which side of the road you're on or what type of road it is (one, way, two way, etc.), always, always, always look both ways before crossing.

Traffic in India is very 'fluid' and I have on several occasions seen traffic heading down the road the wrong way simply because the driver decided it was more expedient to do so.

5) Ignore The Horn
The first thing you're likely to notice when you arrive is the noise of Indian traffic. Here the most important equipment in any car is its horn. This is because Indian traffic seems to work on a system similar to the echolocation of bats.

Drivers are at no times expected to be aware of the traffic beside or behind them. That means no checking of mirrors and no shoulder checks of blind spots or signaling when changing lanes. As a result, people sound their horns constantly.

Changing lanes? Honk!
Passing cars? Honk!
Pedestrian walking on the road ahead? Honk!
Going through an intersection with no stop sign or traffic light? Honk!
Going around the bend on winding unlit mountain road? Honk!
What the hell are you doing? Honk!
etc...

Basically, 80% of the time, drivers sound their horn simply to let other drivers know they're there. As a pedestrian, you need to get used to the noise. The vast majority of the time they're not honking at you, so just be aware of the traffic and trek ahead!

6) Assume You Don't Have The Right Of Way
Pedestrians having the right of way is not a universal rule and certainly does not apply in India. The best way to save your neck is to assume at all times that all other objects you share the sidewalk or road with (be it cow, dog, scooter or car) will not get out of your way or stop for you. It is YOUR responsibility to get out of its way. Pedestrians don't play chicken, that's why we can cross the road.