Crossing the Street in India

A defining factor in the boundaries of an affordable private school’s market

I was reminded today that one of the craziest things about India is that there aren’t any crosswalks/ zebra crossings and cars don’t stop for pedestrians.

So how do you cross the street? Check out this video:http://www.snotr.com/video/404/Crossing_the_street_in_India

It takes “go with the flow” to a whole new level. So if I ever feel there isn’t enough “excitement” in my life, I’ll go out and cross the nearest street.

In all seriousness, this is a pretty big issue with infrastructure here. There are always throngs of people out walking and there are neither sidewalks nor crosswalks to assist them with safe travel. Crossing in groups is always a little easier, but for small children it can be a big problem. Drivers simply aren’t looking for tiny humans on the road, so many parents forbid their children to cross alone. According to Grey Matters Capital’s 2012 Affordable Private Schools Sector Analysis Report, one of the factors parents consider in choosing a school is if there are any large street crossings. So when we do a market analysis and consider direct regional competitors, the one across the street may not be a problem due to the boundaries created by dangerous busy streets.