I grew up in San Francisco in the 50's...and had no real experience with two lane rural roads until I lived outside of Chicago, in Michigan City, IN...over the years of living in the midwest, the rural two lane road has become very real...pleasant drives in the spring/summer/fall...the winter was often filled with stress.
Two lane rural roads require MORE than merely driving.
Two lane rural roads require your full attention, NO cruise control!
Two lane rural roads assume that drivers are willing to SHARE the road.
Two lane rural roads encourage that you experience the environment...what is on both sides of the road.
Two lane rural roads have nothing to do with lots and lots of traffic getting anywhere quickly!
There is a new gov't multi-lane highway that is part of the new international airport in Hyderabad. Seeing the highway construction in the daylight made me immediately think of what the WPA must have been...certainly different than I (we) have experienced the recent stimulus public funding.
After 30 minutes of new paved highway...then there is a 4 lane divided highway...the old paved road out of town.
Soon after the divided highway becomes rural paved road...sometimes it seems that it is wide enough for 3 but never 4 vehicles.
As you drive further from Hyderabad....the paving often needs repair....sometimes they have literally ripped up 20-30 feet of the cracked potholes down to the bedrock...quite the speed bump.
Two lane rural roads in India....are ALWAYS being shared by:
Water-buffalo...a few to a herd.
Flocks of goats....usually with a shepherd walking on the side of the paved road.
Three wheel small engine jittneys
Bikes
Motor bikes
Vespas
Motorcycles
Carts being pulled by water buffalo
tractors...pulling trailors filled with people
Very old/wide buses
old buses
new long wide buses
Pedestrians
Sharing a road with no 'shoulders' and NO signs warning you about curves...or speed bumps and NEVER any signs about speed of any kind!
Sitting in the front passenger seat...left front (where we are used to being the drivers) takes some doing for a control freak (ME???)
Hand-eye coordination is an absolute must!
Ignoring anything coming toward you...unless you are in THEIR lane...and always look away from the family carrying a toddler on their motor-bike...seated just in front of the driver...!
These two lane rural roads go through villages...that are crowded with people who ignore the traffic...and walk to-and-fro...with no traffic lights...stop signs of any kind.
It takes a long time to get to Chandrakal on these roads...but you get to see ALL OF THE LIFE in India....rice paddies...cotton fields...humans chopping wood from the dead tree branches..and small huts...tents...homes...and always smiling children.
Two lane rural roads in India...are truly the Roads NOT Taken...and they should be!
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