Tuesday 29 April: My thoughts on Roman traffic

There was a little drizzle today, which made it a perfect day for research. I headed to AAR in the morning, and spent several hours in research. Returning home, I organized and wrote up some notes for my research project. I’ve been eating at home mostly, granola and fat-free yogurt in the morning, fruit for snacks, a panino for lunch (bread from the bakery across the street, mortadella or prosciutto and cheese from the salumeria), and salad from the market for dinner. I have to admit that I indulge in the occasional gelato.

On the bus today I began thinking about Roman traffic. The city is a mayhem of crooked and cobbled roads, cars, buses, millions (literally) of Vespa scooters, and pedestrians all walking into the traffic almost at random. Signs and street lights are largely ignored, and traffic weaves through the tiniest alleys as well as huge multi-lane roadways. Still, there are few accidents beyond fender-benders. I think I know the answer: Romans are much more aware of their surroundings than most Americans.

Crossing the street in Rome is terrifying the first time. You are absolutely certain that you will be immediately run down. The first time I came to Rome, I would wait until a nun crossed, thinking that either the drivers would avoid her, or some divine providence would spare her (and me). Ask anyone who’s been here, and they’ll confirm this. Now, though, I do what the Romans do: I look both ways, walk into the street, stare at the oncoming traffic so they know that I know that they are there, and I cross. Here is the secret: once you start, you cannot slow down, speed up, change direction, or stop. The drivers see you and will swerve around you, often at the absolute last minute. Everyone is aware of where everyone else is going, and the whole thing works out as an intricately choreographed ballet of pedestrian, auto, bicycle, bus, truck, and scooter. You do have to be careful of cable cars; since they’re on tracks, they can’t swerve.

Please note that this is very different from the American experience of pedestrians wandering into the street without looking, or drivers weaving all over the road. In the US, both are usually distracted by cell phones, mp3 players, and other diversions. Not that Italians don’t talk on cell phones in public; they’ve been doing it longer than Americans have, and they do it all the time. However, when they’re crossing the street or driving, they are paying attention to the traffic. As far as mp3 players, iPods, et cetera, I have seen a few people with them in public, mostly young folks of college age. Most people, though, don’t wear head sets in public. In general, folks seem much more aware of their surroundings and in tune with what’s going on around them. How many people do we see, especially students, with their head sets on, cap pulled down to their sunglasses, collar turned up, trying to cut off the outside world as much as possible? It must make it hard to watch the traffic! You just don’t see much of that it Italy. Even on the phone or talking to a companion, the walkers and drivers here just seem to be much more conscious of their surroundings. At least, that’s my theory why the entire city hasn’t been run down long ago.