[Minardi]

Rs.320 for 165 Kms is not very expensive compared to Rs.165 for 93 kms of Mumbai-Pune E'way.

[SS-Traveller]

To those who continue to crib about the steep toll rates for the YE:
Agra>Delhi takes me 6-7 hours on a minimum on my drives back from CCU. If this road is going to shave off 3-4 hours off my travel time and I can make the trip in <20hrs, I'd happily pay the 320 INR required. My time is worth more than 80 bucks an hour any day.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

My time is worth more than 80 bucks an hour any day.

Not to mention the savings in fuel. I think one can save about 3-4L by taking the expressway as opposed to NH2 (I am assuming 100kmph average on the expressway and 40 on the NH which would mean frequent acceleration/brakes on the NH thus consuming more fuel). that would mean about 200-300 odd rupees saved in Petrol cars or 150 in case of Diesel. Surely that should count. Effectively one is paying much lesser than the 320 rupees for the expressway.

Also wear/tear in the car would be less on the expressway. I dont know how that can be quantified.

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by Minardi

Rs.320 for 165 Kms is not very expensive compared to Rs.165 for 93 kms of Mumbai-Pune E'way.

Exactly the point I was trying to make yesterday night. Doing the calculations tells you that Yamuna Expressway is only Rs 28 more expensive than Mumbai-Pune expressway at parity. Not too much for the hue and cry raised I guess.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

To those who continue to crib about the steep toll rates for the YE:
Agra>Delhi takes me 6-7 hours on a minimum on my drives back from CCU. If this road is going to shave off 3-4 hours off my travel time and I can make the trip in <20hrs, I'd happily pay the 320 INR required. My time is worth more than 80 bucks an hour any day.

+1 Sir. The road is a step forward considering the time and pain it takes to travel via NH2. One can argue it is expensive comparing to other highways, but the amount of time it saves makes it a no brainer to use the highway for anyone whome Greater Noida is approachable.

[v&v]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

To those who continue to crib about the steep toll rates for the YE:
Agra>Delhi takes me 6-7 hours on a minimum on my drives back from CCU. If this road is going to shave off 3-4 hours off my travel time and I can make the trip in <20hrs, I'd happily pay the 320 INR required. My time is worth more than 80 bucks an hour any day.

Well said Doc thats the bottom line.
When i rode on expressway on 10th, this was the first thing which came to my mind that next kolkata trip you will clock it in under 20hrs !!

[sgiitk]

Fools are having a field day. As per todays papers a large number of alcohol bottles (mostly beer) have been thrown along the road and also people have been found speeding on the wrong side of the road.

Maybe we do not deserve world class highways. I hope they use their survellience cameras to catch and prosecute the culprits and also post their pictures on the print and video media. I have absolutely Zero sympathy and total contempt for these louts.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@indian21r; I think you mean the Yamuna Expressway when you refer to the Taj Expressway. I have no issues with two wheelers as long as land discipline is observed. Buses being allowed does not mean that the Roadways buses will be there.

The reason I am against 2 wheelers is without dedicated lane for them, cars and trucks will be forced to cut lanes. It will be difficult to enforce lane discipline. Let us hope people with low speeds will realize they cannot compete and take the outermost lanes only. 2 wheelers hogging the 1st to 3rd lanes is a recipe for disaster

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Fools are having a field day. As per todays papers a large number of alcohol bottles (mostly beer) have been thrown along the road and also people have been found speeding on the wrong side of the road.

We also observed a lot of vehicles doing wrong route. Hope this does not become the norm

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

To those who continue to crib about the steep toll rates for the YE: Agra>Delhi takes me 6-7 hours on a minimum. If this road is going to shave off 3-4 hours off my travel time and I can make the trip in <20hrs, I'd happily pay the 320 INR required. My time is worth more than 80 bucks an hour any day.

Anyway one would probably be spending only 150 or so more compared to NH2. But the time saved is totally worth the cost.

The reason people are cribbing about toll is due to the fact that cost per Km feels high compared to the other expressways (MPEW is almost as expensive). Time is needed for it to sink in.

[esteem_lover]

I understand that some of you are more than happy to pay the steep toll and decrease your travel time, but my view was that this should not set up an example of ignoring the existing tolled NH and creating new expressways. This kind of thing is not good for the growth of a country like India where the divide is HUGE. Also, who is monitoring these elite expressways ? Since there are way too many irresponsible drivers, I could see quite a few high speed/drunk driving on this route and only hope that there will be very few accidents. Expressways are welcome, but I believe that as a motoring nation, we are yet to mature.

Ways to improve the existing NH

1. Identify the bottlenecks and broaden the carriageway.
2. Elevated roads in and around villages/towns etc.
3. Control construction/human settlement activity near the NH by empowering the local land/revenue authorities.

[poloman]

I fully agree. The toll is too steep even for upper middle class. As per the reports the company is allowed to collect tolls for a period of 36 years. They have usurped vast tacts of land on either sides of the highway at cheap rates and will be sitting on a windfall.
As a practice the parallel high way will now be intentionally kept in bad condition forcing the people to use this express way.

[sgiitk]

@esteem_lover; See the existing NH parallel to the Mumbai-Pune expressway is still in business.

Let me add a few points:
1. Existing so called expressways (NH network) is essentially a dual carriageway network and not a expressway network. So local traffic, frequent road entries and exits etc. are a given.

2. To make problems worse in order to save costs the existing non-toll roads were upgraded. Go to the UK for every M road there is a corresponding A road which carries to local traffic. In France where the Autoroutes are tolled you see frequent markings 'Bis' for the untolled highways with the same destination. This helps distribute the traffic.

3. Even now instead of making the highways six lane I think a parallel 2 lane highway for the local traffic will also ease the congestion and also facilitate high speed travel.

As for irresponsible drivers, I have already posted from a newspaper. Also, four youngsters piled into a car, blew a tyre, hit the divider, and ultimately fell off the offshoot onto the highway. Were ejected from the car (seatbelts ??) and seriously injured. I guess they were high as well. I think this is a prime example of the type of irresponsible drivers you mentioned.

[SS-Traveller]

Now who were those gentlemen protesting so loudly against allowing 2-wheelers on the YE? How would I get pics like these then?

[Parthasarathig]

Mod Note: Copied from Bad Drivers Thread.

Do these pictures qualify for the bad drivers and riders thread? You say.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...5808995&type=1

This is the scene at the newly opened Yamuna Expressway.
Posted originally on the Buddh International Circuit, Facebook Page. Good to see such posts from them.


Mods please move to appropriate thread if necessary.

[Sheel]

Try which ever Car you have against these and you would come away red-faced. (For them who think they are slow)

Motorcycles sporting above 200cc or 150 can be allowed. 250's sold in India can sit at 120kmph throughout the day and sprint faster to 150 than your average hatch-back.

I am not advocating speeding, after all even in a V8, you would be doing 100kmph to be on the safe side on our roads. At least I would.

[dhondusaxena]

I have a friend in this group of SportsBike enthusiasts. This grp is called GODS "Group Of Delhi Superbikers" and has prominence on Facebook. He was here last weekend on the Expressway.

[SS-Traveller]

First signs of trouble brewing for traffic on the YE. Your free pleasure drive might just be cut short by protesting farmers over the next 2 days.
Tappal farmers threaten to block Yamuna Expressway - The Times of India.