Maruti Suzuki Road Safety Index released, rates 8 Indian cities

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by smartcat

With a million intersections and a billion two-wheelers on Bangalore roads, I wonder how it topped "Road Safety".

Originally Posted by Kiterunner

Considering that Karnataka has the highest road tax in India, the big question that arise is - Why is Bangalore behind in 'Road Infrastructure' and 'Road Quality'?

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Not for nothing is the Rants on Bangalore's traffic situation thread on team-bhp 919 pages long.

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

Unplanned growth, road encroachments and poor quality of work are some of the factors why Bangalore is behind

Originally Posted by MDED

The results of Bangalore amaze me. Over the last decade I have seen Bangalore under construction for most of the time; resulting in dust, potholes, no potable drinking water and nightmarish traffic. In no other city there will be a speed braker where a flyover ends. Usually, while descending from the flyover, vehicles will be at a good speed and speed breakers are proven to be fatal.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Road Safety for Bengaluru: In a way, right inside the city, The roads are safe for a lot of reasons and one of them will undoubtedly be due to Speedbreakers at almost every intersection or a U-Turn which otherwise can be a potential accident spot

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

How exactly is bangalore leading in terms of road safety? There are potholes everywhere not just the side of the road but in the middle and fast lane as well, expansion joints on flyovers are not aligned, the cities obsession with mammoth speedbreakers means they can come up absolutely anywhere often not even painted white so they are invisible until the last moment, several deliberately poorly timed traffic signals that ensure cops may get to fine some extra folks...

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Bangalore is leading in overall road safety?
How on earth is that even remotely possible?
In summary, either this survey is wrong OR the condition in other cities is worse (which is hard to believe).

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Thanks for the giggle!
In the city marked the leader in road safety, the roads themselves aren't safe from frequent unannounced mutilation by all & sundry utilities jokers. Road users being safe was probably not even a criteria for the study

Just a compilation of comments made so far on Bengaluru's status. Will the surveyors please note this .

[smartcat]

Originally Posted by smartcat

With a million intersections and a billion two-wheelers on Bangalore roads, I wonder how it topped "Road Safety".

12:27 PM I made this post and 12:30 PM I get a call from my wife because this had happened - at an intersection - thanks to a school bus.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by smartcat

this had happened - at an intersection - thanks to a school bus.

Ouch!! That hurts and I hope there is nothing to worry about your spouse. Car - Well, we will deviate from the topic if we talked about it.

These buses are a big menace today and this isn't a thing with only few schools but all of them.

In the morning between 0700 and 0745 and in the noon between 1515-1630 they are the kings of the road, doing anything they want at their whims and fancies - Jumping signals, pushing off smaller vehicles, Honking away to glory.

When it comes to Road Safety - Bangalore has scored very high, but..

• Their campaigns, both on Social Media and at various events are just a momentary affair - They keep training Drivers of BMTC, Schools, Autos and Cabs about Road Safety and driving safely but things are same next day.
  
  
• They keep painting the roads with all colors of a Rainbow and shapes from MS word but that's just it. Talk about Diamond Boxes in Yellow at Major intersections - This is their second attempt (previous one hardly worked).
  
  
• Talk about Zero Tolerance Zones - This again is their second attempt.
  
  
• You know how badly Auto Lanes and Bus lanes failed - They still want to do that with the same width of the road after more than 7 years.
  
  
• They Keep posting videos of a Journey of an Ambulance on a well managed corridor and post on Social Media - Well, don't they provide this Green corridors in the same way for our Netas too?

Trust me when I say this - The cops here haven't been "Ruthless" on the bigger offenders like BMTC, Company Buses, Autos and Cabs like how we see elsewhere. I have seen cops in Mumbai Pull out his Lathi the moment he spotted a slow moving truck on the fast lane. Here, we see 3 Tata Aces doing 3-4-5 KMPH on all 3 lanes while we see a beautiful signage of BTRAC in Blue that says "Slow Moving Vehicles, Left lane only"

I am now interested to know on what basis has my city scored in terms of Road Safety - I have a fear that all the respondents would have "liked" Bangalore Traffic Police FB Page and hence getting feeds on these routine rituals they conduct to showcase on Social Media, and then they all went gung-ho over it

[sub.g84]

While I agree with the results they declared on Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Calcutta, I feel there is something wrong with the Bangalore results. The way people drive here makes me always feel that I am in the midst of a battle everyday on the roads.

-Cops have gone lenient on bikers without helmets. I see many bikers not wearing helmets even on main roads while the cops just look away
-People jumping the red light
-Bikers and even cars are seen driving over the road divider onto on-coming traffic just to save themselves from standing at the red light before they take the u-turn,
-High spirited youths doing wheelies
-Cabs over speeding
-Poorly lit roads full of pot-holes. The flyovers on ORR are barely lit with street lights with some of them having the metal pieces coming out on the tarmac

The only thing that I can highlight with respect to road safety here is the cops conduct these surprise checks for drink and drive.

P.S. not to offend anyone, but the irony here is the safety index has been released by a manufacturer who are not really high on the chart when it comes to the overall vehicular safety in our country.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by sub.g84

P.S. not to offend anyone, but the irony here is the safety index has been released by a manufacturer who are not really high on the chart when it comes to the overall vehicular safety in our country.

Spot on bro! Maruti should focus on making their cars safe! This is the company whose chairman confidently said that there was no link between unsafe cars and road fatalities! And how precisely did they come up with the fact of namma Bengaluru being the 'safest'?! Yeah, probably because the average speed of traffic here in my beloved hometown is about 10kmph (when it actually moves, that is), so that makes it safe!

The traffic police here are overwhelmed and more often than not ignore major violations unless there is a chance for them to make a quick buck. Oddly enough, they are out in full force when there is some random VVIP movement on the roads. If that many cops actually manned the roads on a daily basis, Bangalore would probably be safe!

How did the big-M conduct this survey anyway? Using accident stats, actually measuring the time taken for emergency services to respond and the like, or just by hiring some agency to go around asking random people, 'hey, do you think your city roads are safe?' I suspect the latter. Perhaps we'll have an Internet poll next to decide major matters of public safety!

[vw19d]

Bengaluru - Winner for road safety? There's not even an iota of possibility for that to be true. Of all the big cities that I've driven, I've always felt Bangalore to be the worst in terms of road safety. Of the 3 metros in South India (excluding Mumbai), I'd rate road safety to be like this: Chennai > Hyderabad > Bangalore.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Originally Posted by dZired

Kolkata is the winner for road lighting and maintenance

Excellent matter there dZired !! The existing government in Kolkata has worked hard on lighting up the city of joy in blue and white; for which they have been rewarded here. However, the undisclosed fact being that who is bearing the brunt of the cost for this ? I hear that the Calcutta Electric Supply Company was asked to absorb a portion of this substantial cost which is unfair.

Originally Posted by GTO

The worst road manners I've seen are in Calcutta.

and fact that the Yellow Taxis are decaying in numbers on a daily basis, the new Swift Dzire Taxis are taking on the roads just like "Crazy Taxi" Drivers and at times it is scary to drive alongside them with their fast and furious attitude.

Originally Posted by fordfreak

But the condition of our roads as well as the quality of maintenance/repairs done, leaves a lot to be desired. For starters, the repair/maintenance work seems to be never ending. The lack of proper planning/implementation also results in random repairs being made in places that are counterproductive (i.e. - recessed/protruding drains, protruding patches that act as speed breakers, etc.). Neither do the roads have any proper markings in most places.

For example, the Parama (also known as 'Maa') flyover. When it opened a little over a year ago, it probably had the best riding surface in the city. The authorities have already scraped off the top-layer and left it like that, leading to a bone jarring and loud ride. They have relaid a new layer on parts of the flyover which have made the experience of driving on it painful! The new surface used is the type that has stone chips sticking out on the surface (I don't know the correct technical name for this). And, there are no longer any lane markings.

The Maa Flyover is a nightmare for bikers to ride on with the scraped off top road surface. Have heard of numerous accidents happening here in the recent times. Plus, there is repair work on most of the times without any hazard/ safety lights/ reflectors on most of the roads which is dangerous.

[Sree73]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not saying this because I live in Mumbai, but this city has the best road manners of any metro in India.

Mumbai drivers are generally well-behaved, stick to their lane (especially in autorickshaw-less South Bombay) & adhere to traffic rules (at least most of the time ).

I second your opinion. I lived in Mumbai for 14 years (1996-2010) before moving in to Bangalore. Occasionally visit Mumbai now also.

Mumbai is far better in road manners compared to most other cities in India, especially compared to Bangalore.

Lane discipline and non-honking is something I miss very badly here in Bangalore vis a vis Mumbai.

[neeravnaik]

Well if you will not move on the roads you will not get into an accident

To be serious average speeds in Bangalore traffic are likely to be the lowest and that has a relation to low accident rates.

[drive2eternity]

This survey couldn't have come at a better time.
I spent the last 4 days driving in Chennai and am now back to Bangalore.

Observations:
1- Chennai has way too many autos. All you see is a sea of Yellow.
2- Traffic is much more organized. I was driving around Anna Salai and though there was slow moving traffic, no one was honking. No car was trying to cut in and occupy the non-existent space between me and my adjacent car. I realized it is because most were private vehicles. In Bangalore, the majority of drivers seen doing this are cabs and tempo travelers. And they are always in majority.
3- Pedestrians were allowed to cross roads while cars waited patiently at slow moving junctions. Totally unlike Bangalore.

On the survey part, I agree with Delhi's road infrastructure and Mumbaikars following Motor laws.
Bangalore's title amuses me to no extent. How can Bangalore have the 'best road safety' when it does not top in any other parameter.
Shouldn't Road Safety be a summation of scores of other parameters?
Did Bangalore come second in other parameters? If it did, I shall take immediate 'sanyaas'
Never been to Ahmedabad so cannot comment. Wonder why Hyderabad never made to the top in any categories. I regard it as a pretty good city (including its road infrastructure and overall traffic control).

[vinit.merchant]

When I saw Pune on the list, I was surprised for it to win any award on the road safety index. But then its only the Pollution control, and probably the only parameter where Pune stood a chance to be eligible.

Rest all parameters, Pune is probably at the bottom of the list.
I saw someone commenting on improving Pune infra, but let me add that all these conversions of roads to 4 & 6 lanes is without planning whatsoever. And on top of that, the BRTS project screws up whatever is left of the usable road. And I am not even talking about potholes/traffic sense/ etc yet.

[Altocumulus]

Personally I am pretty surprised about Mumbai and traffic laws. A city where a cop opens up book to take Rs 20-50 as bribe for any violation, where is the law. I have even seen people take change back from them. I was 6 years in Mumbai with more than a lakh kms driven extensively there. In a red light, by the time it turns green people are already in the middle of the junction.

Kolkata if you the 'sergeants' catch you then you have to pay the fine. No question of sorrys or bribe. They will speak to you nicely, smile and give you the challan. The downside, speed limits of 30 km/ hr on an open road.

[Asish_VK]

Bangalore winning on safest roads doesn’t make me surprised .

Yes Bangalore have most ill-mannered road users I have seen. Yes there are lot of traffic violations, left side overtakes, accidents, etc etc .

Barring some cases, all these happens at a snail’s speed, making them “safe accidents” I guess (pun intended) .

We have to move fast to get into any fatal accidents right ? with an average speed of 4-7 kmph on rush hours and a couple more on other times, I guess Bangalore deserve it.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not saying this because I live in Mumbai, but this city has the best road manners of any metro in India. And I've driven in them all.

Mumbai drivers are generally well-behaved, stick to their lane (especially in autorickshaw-less South Bombay) & adhere to traffic rules (at least most of the time ). More than a couple of Mods visiting from other cities have commented on the same, including bblost who once rode down on his Bullet.

Completely agree to this. Bombay is best in road manners than all other cities. Mumbaikars, please take a bow .

Agree with Ahmedabad/Gandhi Nagar for cleanliness and Chennai for Emergency services. Have seen people in Chennai giving way for Ambulances in best possible manners to save life.
Yea, Delhi indeed deserves for best infrastructure and connectivity.

It is unclear on what parameters Bangalore is winning for Road Safety. We have had multiple instances where multiple people died (particularly 2 wheelers) due to pot holes and Pedestrians died due to bad/unsafe intersections.

-Ravi

[howler]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not saying this because I live in Mumbai, but this city has the best road manners of any metro in India. And I've driven in them all.

Mumbai drivers are generally well-behaved, stick to their lane (especially in autorickshaw-less South Bombay) & adhere to traffic rules (at least most of the time ). More than a couple of Mods visiting from other cities have commented on the same, including bblost who once rode down on his Bullet.

The worst road manners I've seen are in Calcutta.

If the mumbai being referred to is only south Bombay then Yes , otherwise every other part of Mumbai is probably the worst I have seen in Indian metros. Be it road conditions , obeying traffic flow and laws / lights etc . Most of the pedestrians are on the road either ways so no wonder it ranked highest in pedestrian rights .