Traffic and life on the road in Chennai

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

Heard about the traffic chaos on the 100 ft road and took a different route to get to Ashok Pillar.

From Golden flats took the Golden eagle bridge route and then went into the Koyambedu market road. This road is flooded till the junction of the road which goes to Virugambakkam. Small cars will have to be a little careful in this stretch.

On the Virugambakkam road just before chinmaya nagar there was some road blockage and people there forced me to take a detour to the right. Took it and joined back the road after chinmaya nagar. No traffic after this and No flooding till Avichi school.

From there took the KK nagar road. Big mistake. It was flooded till i joined joined back near KK bus depot. Saw many cars stuck in the water. Small cars can avoid this route unless it is abosolutely necessary.

Aranganathan subway is not flooded although there is water stagnation in the middle. If it continues to rain then there are chances of this subway being closed later.

Knowing there would be chaos, I left my home at 1:30 today after lunch & I reached my office at guindy industrial estate in 40-45 minutes. Last night rains have damaged roads badly.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Gilead

aargee, let me guess. You must be driving an Alto or a Zen right?

Apologies Gilead that I missed your post - Sorry. I drive a white 2005 WagonR Vxi

There will be flooding in Porur

Nope, crystal clear road

That stretch is perfectly clear till Kathipara

Very right, not a single water clog anywhere.

[Gansan]

I called my wife to check if she could leave an hour early and she said yes. So left office at 4.30 PM , picked her up in front of Guindy station and reached home after a sedate drive. No snarl-ups or water logging anywhere.

[Gilead]

Did anyone take the 100 feet road this morning? Any water logging? I think I'll most probably take the Mount Road route again today.

[sterlingjames]

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

Just got a call from aargee. Couple of trees have fallen on the road near the Guindy race course (on the velachery road) blocking traffic. People travelling through that route please plan accordingly.

if any one is going to perungudi from annanagar, morning traffic on the ring road(anna nagar-koyambedu-vadapalani-guindy) to raj bhavan-taramani-perungudi is fine. night time, best take the taramani-kotturpuram-mount road-nungambakkam-chetput kilpauk-anna nagar. takes a long time but the traffic is constant flowing, not to mention that you will be travelling through civilisation, instead of being sandwiched between monster buses(SETC/Private/staff buses) and trucks on the ring road.

[Mission_Safari]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Did anyone take the 100 feet road this morning? Any water logging? I think I'll most probably take the Mount Road route again today.

I took the 100ft road-MMDA colony-Annanagar route yesterday night around 11PM and there was no water logging and traffic was smooth too.

[vjabraham]

I was careless enough to take Bazullah Road yesterday from Panagal Park to Nungambakkam, I usually don't take this route but I ended up taking it and almost stalling my car cause of the water logging! Fortunately, when it seemed like the car was dying on me I was almost out of the water! Revved the engine hard to keep it from dying!

Never take that road when it's raining!

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by sterlingjames

if any one is going to perungudi from annanagar, morning traffic on the ring road(anna nagar-koyambedu-vadapalani-guindy) to raj bhavan-taramani-perungudi is fine. night time, best take the taramani-kotturpuram-mount road-nungambakkam-chetput kilpauk-anna nagar. takes a long time but the traffic is constant flowing, not to mention that you will be travelling through civilisation, instead of being sandwiched between monster buses(SETC/Private/staff buses) and trucks on the ring road.

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari

I took the 100ft road-MMDA colony-Annanagar route yesterday night around 11PM and there was no water logging and traffic was smooth too.

Thanks for the info guys. I took Mount Road again today. I'll go back to 100 feet road tomorrow.

sterlingjames- I follow the same route while returning. Getting to Anna Nagar via Mount Road is much faster and safer than taking 100 feet road at night. It's a couple of kms longer but much faster and you get better FE as well. Last night I started at 9:20 pm did Guindy to Anna Nagar in 25 minutes. Probably because none of the signals were working. Crossed 100 after a long time in the city. Otherwise it takes 35 minutes.

[Daewood]

@Sterling James
I haven't noticed these TN-05 guys but your observation about TN-22 is true. Not all drivers but majority of these TN-21,22,18 and those 2 wheeler drivers who commute from nearby districts drive like maniacs.

I guess it's got to do with the distance they have to cover everyday.
Maybe they think if they drive sedately they can't reach in time.
My friend from Avadi reaches office in mount road in just 55 mins,
wheras I take 50 mins to reach the same office from annanagar west.
and you can imagine the speeds at which he drives.

In my observations another set of people who drive very badly are those 2 wheeler guys in their 40s(not all). Don't know why they are in such a hurry and always frowning.

Another way of spotting a bad driver is they way they sit. If you spot one sitting almost on the bike petrol tank, you can be sure he is one of those.

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by sterlingjames

if any one is going to perungudi from annanagar, morning traffic on the ring road(anna nagar-koyambedu-vadapalani-guindy) to raj bhavan-taramani-perungudi is fine. night time, best take the taramani-kotturpuram-mount road-nungambakkam-chetput kilpauk-anna nagar. takes a long time but the traffic is constant flowing, not to mention that you will be travelling through civilisation, instead of being sandwiched between monster buses(SETC/Private/staff buses) and trucks on the ring road.

For daily commute from annanagar to guindy:
Morning - shanthi colony road-koyambedu-vadapalani-ashoknagar-guindy (14kms)
Evening - guindy-saidapet-nungambakkam-chetpet overbridge-taylors road-chintamani-annanagar west thro roundtana(18-20kms)

Very true, the patience level wears out in the evening on the koyambedu stretch

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

For daily commute from annanagar to guindy:

Hey, since when did you start copying my route dude!

Morning - shanthi colony road-koyambedu-vadapalani-ashoknagar-guindy (14kms)

It's 11.5 kms if you avoid Koyambedu and take the interior Arumbakkam roads. They are generally free around the time that you start. Avoid like the plague during rains.

Evening - guindy-saidapet-nungambakkam-chetpet overbridge-taylors road-chintamani-annanagar west thro roundtana(18-20kms)

This route is actually 14 kms. It's 18 kms on the opposite side due to one ways at College Road and Saidapet. Looks like your car's ODO is overreading like all good Marutis thereby giving you an impression of higher FE.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Daewood

In my observations another set of people who drive very badly are those 2 wheeler guys in their 40s(not all). Don't know why they are in such a hurry and always frowning.

110% True.
Two weeks ago, just after crossing the Vavin signal, one such elderly, respected, moron on a Max100R swayed from right to left after he found he couldn't overtake rightside & he happened to almost hit me & he casually drove away. I lost my cool, chased him & asked him if this is the way he drives? He paused for a moment & the first thing he told me was I was over speeding (in my Activa) & started abusing verbally all over & I was like

Understood it was my fault to have spoken to him as I didn't realize - Never argue with a fool, they will lower you to their level and then beat you with experience.

[silversteed]

@aargee:

Just hope it's not the moron with whom i had an encounter a couple of days back. Well, there are thousands and thousands of such lesser mortals in the city.

Last month I had gone to the airport in a friend's activa. I saw many such middle-aged retards on two wheels who were all over the GST road. GST road is one of the best-laid and maintained roads. And one particular fellow almost brushed me with his CD100. I knew there's no point explaining things (potthinte cheviyil vedam othiyittu kaaryamilla - No point chanting a sermon into a buffalo's ears), so I ignored and resumed my road-trip.

Most of them go color-blind when they have to wait for more than 10 seconds at a signal. They mistake red and yellow for green.

[jeevmenon]

I had thought of starting a new thread on Chennai traffic experiences but found this apt thread with a nice and hilarious start by sterlingjames. Here are 3 of my experiences of yesterday in order.

A. Velachery - 100 ft road. I had parked the car at Murugan Kalyana Mandapam (for the favorite passtime of Velacherians (maybe Chennaiites for that matter - get into the "First time in Velachery. UP/MP/HP Handloom sale" on a Sunday.) As I got off the car I see a sedan (did not notice the car make) slowly coming from behind and the kids sitting in the back seat of that car opened the door as the car was in motion. The door hit the back of my car but luckily just a couple of spots of paint-loss. The driver was nice and came out to apologise. I was furious initially but asked him to use the child lock.

So, child locks can help not only the resident kids but outside folks as well.

B. T.Nagar Signal next to the bus stand. I was coming in from CIT nagar and going into Kodambakkam via the flyover over S.Usman road. People like flee crossing over from Mambalam rly station side to Chennai silks side. Unbelievable this! No police control here. I was worried I would go over someone's feet. I somehow managed to pass this hurdle.

This brings the question:
1. Is Ranganathan street the most-crowded in India? (non-motorable)
2. Is the S.Usman road area at the T.Nagar bus-stand signal end and at the Pothys/Panagal park end, the most-crowded motorable area in India?

C. Velachery-Tambaram road - close to the Vijay Nagar signal (this is the worst tri-point signal in the world!)

I was going from the signal towards the Velachery railway station. The road is very narrow and 2 cars could possibly squeeze through if there are no parked cars next to Sutherlands and A2B. Yesterday, I got off the car to inform one of the parked cars next to A2B that he was doing a crime by blocking one part of the road. Hopefully he understood. Who gives licenses to such establishments. And now there is a McD next to it. No parking facilities, use the road is what they suggest. What a pity?

Btw I pay 35 bucks toll every day on the OMR to barely get 1 lane of the so called six-lanes. 1 lane is dug up since inception, the second lane is used for parking, people walking, bus stands, MTC parking etc, people crossing over. Chaotic madness and I am paying for it :-)

[roadracer]

Originally Posted by jeevmenon

Btw I pay 35 bucks toll every day on the OMR to barely get 1 lane of the so called six-lanes. 1 lane is dug up since inception, the second lane is used for parking, people walking, bus stands, MTC parking etc, people crossing over. Chaotic madness and I am paying for it :-)

Agree with you. OMR is not a 6 lane road. You could barely use 3 lanes. I am not sure where we could complain this.

I thought that the Velachery McD was a drive-in one.Never visited it though.