[sansvk]

Completed Blr-Pkd-Blr yesterday. Update on NH213: Palakkad bypass is finally being tarred. One side has been completed and the other side is in progress. It has been one bone jarring strech for the last few years.

[Jammy70]

Originally Posted by Tassem

Well this must be the biggest joke ever since I don't think the roads in the vicinity of Walayar need to worry about speeding unless you're driving a Hummer. Or a Bulldozer. Or a Bus. You get my drift.

Installing them on the Salem stretch would be a whole different story though. THAT would make me sad.

Tassem, I think lloydofcochin was referring to 'Vayalar', near Cherthala, and not Walayar.

Originally Posted by lloydofcochin

HVK, Sure will get that info as soon as he returns from a foreign trip in 2 weeks time.

Lloydofcochin, haven't speed checks been there for a while? Have seen the interceptors daily at Vayalar in august too, and the taxi I took to airport refused to go faster than 70 kmph. Even my uncle warned me about the speed limit when I took his Alto to Alleppey on some work.

Or, are you saying they are installing permanent cameras at specific locations, without the interceptors parked there?

[StarrySky]

Highway police also have "mobile" speed cameras mounted on their vehicles. I have spotted them in Mannuthy bypass and near Chalakkudy (Potta-Chalakkudy flyover).

[thoma]

Bit off topic, but still. Suddenly lot of speed radars appear around! My friend was captured by the radar for speeding last week near Enathu (close to Adoor) on the MC road. He was caught doing 92 kmph where as the maximum allowed on the nice MC road stretch is only 70!

[lloydofcochin]

Originally Posted by Jammy70

Tassem, I think lloydofcochin was referring to 'Vayalar', near Cherthala, and not Walayar.



Lloydofcochin, haven't speed checks been there for a while? Have seen the interceptors daily at Vayalar in august too, and the taxi I took to airport refused to go faster than 70 kmph. Even my uncle warned me about the speed limit when I took his Alto to Alleppey on some work.

Or, are you saying they are installing permanent cameras at specific locations, without the interceptors parked there?

Yup I was talking about permanent speed cameras and not the Interceptor vehicles used by the Cops which are always a lurking threat.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Highway police also have "mobile" speed cameras mounted on their vehicles. I have spotted them in Mannuthy bypass and near Chalakkudy (Potta-Chalakkudy flyover).

They will surely lie in wait over there on the 4 lane road since they know for sure that people would be speeding considering the condition of the road. You might have read about the accident involving a minister's Car near Angamaly where it mowed down 3 people of which 2 died on the spot. Apparently the minister's Car was over speeding to reach the Airport.

Originally Posted by thoma

Bit off topic, but still. Suddenly lot of speed radars appear around! My friend was captured by the radar for speeding last week near Enathu (close to Adoor) on the MC road. He was caught doing 92 kmph where as the maximum allowed on the nice MC road stretch is only 70!

Yeah they are there on the MC Road & AC Road since the roads are good and people do tend to be a bit generous with the right pedal

Last Jan I narrowly escaped being caught speeding on AC road. I was doing 85-90 and had to slow down to below 70 and a within a few hundred meters I saw the Cops with a speed radar equipped Jeep penalizing few Cars for speeding.

[bejoyr]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Yes, that is what I heard, time restriction is from 6 pm - 6 am now.

I checked on restrictions at Muthumalai checkpost 1 hour before. They said its between 9pm to 6 am. My resort staff also said same, and advice to cover before 8 pm.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by bejoyr

I checked on restrictions at Muthumalai checkpost 1 hour before. They said its between 9pm to 6 am. My resort staff also said same, and advice to cover before 8 pm.

That is great news! That means the extended timing decision is not yet implemented

Just a query - where are the check posts? At Gundulpet, TN border, Masinagudi, Kalhatti & Gudalur?

[bejoyr]

From Bangalore its at Bandipur and you need to cross gudalur before 10pm. From the other side checkpost is at Gudalur.

[vu2pmc]

[Just a query - where are the check posts? At Gundulpet, TN border, Masinagudi, Kalhatti & Gudalur?[/quote]


On the Sulthan Bathery route, it is about 6 kms after Gundlupet and the exit point is about 18 kms afterwards. Pretty much where Karnataka state border ends. Towards gudalur road the check point starts after the Hangala village at Bandipur. The exit point towards gudalur is after thoppekkad, about 7 kms before you reach gudalur. As soon as you cross that exit point, you get a small village with a fuel station on your left as you drive towards gudalur.

On the Masinagudi Kalhatty stretch, the exit point is about 1 km before you reach the masinagudi village.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by vu2pmc

[Just a query - where are the check posts? At Gundulpet, TN border, Masinagudi, Kalhatti & Gudalur?

On the Sulthan Bathery route, it is about 6 kms after Gundlupet and the exit point is about 18 kms afterwards. Pretty much where Karnataka state border ends. Towards gudalur road the check point starts after the Hangala village at Bandipur. The exit point towards gudalur is after thoppekkad, about 7 kms before you reach gudalur. As soon as you cross that exit point, you get a small village with a fuel station on your left as you drive towards gudalur.

On the Masinagudi Kalhatty stretch, the exit point is about 1 km before you reach the masinagudi village.[/quote]

Isn't there a check post at Kalhatti any more - I remember having to cross it at 4 am in the year 2006 when I was travelling to Bangalore from Ooty?

[vu2pmc]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Isn't there a check post at Kalhatti any more - I remember having to cross it at 4 am in the year 2006 when I was travelling to Bangalore from Ooty?

Kumar, there is one indeed. That check point is at midway on the haripin bends, by a bridge. But that is more a traffic check point not to let the traffic come down via Kalhatty during the night... this night time traffic ban was applicable long before the highway ban came into effect..

[figo_mba]

Roads in the far north of kerala from kannur to mangalore looks like a piece of moon on earth. There are no potholes but craters.... While going north from kochi Nh17 till kannur is patched but after that its horrible. Kasargod mangalore stretch 45kms is the worst.

[Geo_Ipe]

Did my Vellore - Kottayam solo in my WagonR successfully on 27/11!

Route taken: Vellore - Krishnagiri - Salem - Avinashi - Coimbatore - Palakkad - Thrissur - Angamali - Muvattupuzha - Ettumanoor - Kottyam!

Total of 637 km, drive time approx. 13 hours!

Notes:
1. Total of Rs. 338/- paid in toll in Tamil Nadu, for travelling a total of 409 km. I'd say worth it, once the Avinashi - Coimbatore stretch is complete.

2. Road condition is unbearable in 2 stretches:
-> Avinashi - CBE 45 odd km took me ~2 hours!
-> Palakkad - Thrissur is awful to drive on a small hatch.

3. Road conditions are awesome in the rest of TN, and from Thrissur all the way to Muvattupuzha. And I personally love the twisties after Muvattupuzha.

4. I couldn't find any decent eateries along the highways in TN, maybe because I'm not a regular traveller. So similar people, beware.

On the whole, a nice drive and a very sore back!!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

2. Road condition is unbearable in 2 stretches:
-> Avinashi - CBE 45 odd km took me ~2 hours!
-> Palakkad - Thrissur is awful to drive on a small hatch.

May be you should have tried Perundurai-Kangeyam-Palladam-Pollachi-Vadakkancherry.
Since Vadakkancherry almost midway between Palakkad-Trichur, lot of your problems could have got resolved.
The roads are amazing to drive no issues with traffic as well (except the Kangeyam-Palladam, where you see some truck traffic)

4. I couldn't find any decent eateries along the highways in TN, maybe because I'm not a regular traveller. So similar people, beware.

I agree. Eating points are located at only specific locations. Hence you need to be
aware as where they are located so that you can time your drive around these places. This is true for the good locations on the highway.
Regular small hotels can be found at all places.

Starting from Vellore, now you can find :
- new CCD and Aya Bhavan (I think I got the name right) before Krishnagiri,
- Adyar Anand Bhavan at Thoppur,
- Annalakhsmi and Arya Bhavan Perundurai by-pass
- Pollachi town has some decent hotels

[deetjohn]

Drove from EKM to Bangalore yesterday.

EKM to Trissur is 4 lane and excellent. Thrissur to Walayar is rough and full of undulations due to patch works but crucially not many potholes. Kuthiran stretch is full of craters.

Just after the KL border on the TN side, the road is bad due to flyover construction till L&T byepass. 4 Lane conversion going on at Avinashi. So it is full of dust, gravel and diversions. Takes a lot of time.

From the Salem byepass, the roads are awesome till Silkboard except Hosur. Hosur is broken up badly.

I drove during the day.