[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Can I get some advice on the road condition from Ponnani to Kozhikkode through Chamravattom. The distance is lesser compared to NH 17.

Distance is less, but it will take you same/more time. Reason is that the road is relatively narrower and you need to cross part of Tirur town and Tanur and Parappanangadi towns which will eat up some time.

Road conditions are great. Lorry and bus traffic will be relatively less and hence slightly less stressful than NH17. If you are looking for a change, good route to take. You can also look at sticking to the coastal road all through by taking

Chamravatom-Tirur-Parappanagadi-Kadalundi-Chaliyam- Karuvanthuruthy-Ferok-Calicut.

Karuvanthuruthy-Ferok is a narrow road but it is only ~4KM.

Normally taken route would be Parappanangadi-Chettipadi-Chelari-University-Ramanatukara-Ferok. Chettipadi-Chelari is a wonderful drive.

[philgrac]

Originally Posted by pushpender_s

Hi
On return from ashtamudi, i am planning to take the below route.

Asthamudi-Adoor-pathanamathitta-NH183A (Beside kakki Reservoir)-Kumily

Can anyone suggest the road conditions and the total time required to reach thekkady.

Would be really helpful if some veg eating joints could also be suggested on this way.

Can see your trip to Kumily is through NH183A, joining NH220 near Vandiperiyar. Have traveled from Vandiperiyar to Gavi on NH183A passing through reserve forests, which involves necessary permission / forest guide etc to drive through. For details, check KFDC Eco tourism web site.
Also please check one of our TBHP Travelogue "Civved : Gavi" by laluks.

[tomchacks]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

I dont think one can do away with the Palladam-Pollachi route for ever. Whenever we have extended holidays, we can expect a sizable junk of population driving on the roads that can lead to traffic jam at the toll plazas. In such a scenario, driving on alternate routes like Palladam-Pollachi will always come in handy.

Yes the alternate options have to be kept alive till the road widening work from Coimbatore till Mannuthy is over. The L&T bye pass is not at all a smooth section and the ride continues to be bumpier till Walayar. Again from Palghat till Mannuthy, the ongoing widening work and the heavy traffic makes the drive tedious specially after dark. The conditions of alternate SHs are much better and ride is comfortable once the routing has been familiarized.

[Rajeevraj]

Did anyone with a non KL car get caught on any of the traffic cams in Kerala recently. If so, any place to check and pay the fine? I think I was photographed crossing a signal at Vadakara (I crossed just as the light turned red-Was too late to stop and did not want to sudden brake as there was a private bus right on my tail). I assume I'll not get a chalan via post due to the KA regn. Hence if there is way to check and pay, would like to do it.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I assume I'll not get a chalan via post due to the KA regn. Hence if there is way to check and pay, would like to do it.

For all you know the MV Dept., may just ignore your case. As paper work is too much for them . Try the below link.

http://www.payment.keralapolice.gov.in/.
I am a bit doubtful on this link, as this is for the Police. The cameras on highways seems to be under the perview of Motor Vehicle Dept. But any ways no harm in trying.

[silversteed]

Made a quick trip to Palakkad and back over the weekend. Stuck to the NH all along. Started from Bangy at 03:05hrs, and reached my destination at 08:43hrs, covering a distance of 410km. Stopped at Sree Saravana Bhavan at Vaikundom with the hope of having some idlis, but we were told that they won't be serving food until another half half an hour. For some weird reason, none of the many Saravana Bhavans and Aaryas that dot the NH-7 were open, and we had to be content with the food we carried along. Was driving a lot sedately, yet this was one of the quickest. Road condition has improved markedly beyond Walayar - both sides of the dual carriageway are open continuously for long stretches, until Chandranagar. But watch out for construction trucks, as they may take you by surprise at the blind curves - heading on the wrong side. Now I find lesser number of local populace taking the wrong side, and this is a good sign.

On the return, I was on the NH till Dharmapuri. Then turned off into SH17 towards Palacode, and proceeded along Rayakottai-Haleesabam-Hosur IRR-TVS-Attibele. The road condition is a mixed bag - there were some rough patches soon after hitting the SH, especially at an S-curve (that used to be decent a year ago), some decent stretches and very good surface at many places. It seemed that they are repaving the road, as the surface was excellent with well-marked shoulders, reflective lane markings, clear signs etc, on some stretches. The only downside is the lack of any proper hotels or rest areas. Door to door, it took us about 7 hours including a couple of short breaks.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Made a quick trip to Palakkad and back over the weekend. Stuck to the NH all along. Started from Bangy at 03:05hrs, and reached my destination at 08:43hrs, covering a distance of 410km. Stopped at Sree Saravana Bhavan at Vaikundom with the hope of having some idlis, but we were told that they won't be serving food until another half half an hour. For some weird reason, none of the many Saravana Bhavans and Aaryas that dot the NH-7 were open, and we had to be content with the food we carried along.

Most of the restaurants don't open till 6:30am At best, you may get coffee if you reach before 6.30.
What time did you reach the Vaikundam Saravana Bhavan ?
You could have possibly tried the next Saravana Bhavan on right side (when going from Bangalore) about 10-15Km after Vaikundam ? Or the Anandha Bhavan also on right side before Avinashi bypass ?

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Started from Bangy at 03:05hrs, and reached my destination at 08:43hrs, covering a distance of 410km. Stopped at Sree Saravana Bhavan at Vaikundom with the hope of having some idlis, but we were told that they won't be serving food until another half half an hour.

So is it safe to assume that they don't start serving food before 0630hours? In my trips (starting at 0430hours), we reach Vaikundam between 0730hours to 0800hours, and the place is crowded by then.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Made a quick trip to Palakkad and back over the weekend. Stuck to the NH all along. Started from Bangy at 03:05hrs, and reached my destination at 08:43hrs, covering a distance of 410km. Stopped at Sree Saravana Bhavan at Vaikundom with the hope of having some idlis, but we were told that they won't be serving food until another half half an hour. For some weird reason, none of the many Saravana Bhavans and Aaryas that dot the NH-7 were open, and we had to be content with the food we carried along. Was driving a lot sedately, yet this was one of the quickest. Road condition has improved markedly beyond Walayar - both sides of the dual carriageway are open continuously for long stretches, until Chandranagar. But watch out for construction trucks, as they may take you by surprise at the blind curves - heading on the wrong side. Now I find lesser number of local populace taking the wrong side, and this is a good sign.

On the return, I was on the NH till Dharmapuri. Then turned off into SH17 towards Palacode, and proceeded along Rayakottai-Haleesabam-Hosur IRR-TVS-Attibele. The road condition is a mixed bag - there were some rough patches soon after hitting the SH, especially at an S-curve (that used to be decent a year ago), some decent stretches and very good surface at many places. It seemed that they are repaving the road, as the surface was excellent with well-marked shoulders, reflective lane markings, clear signs etc, on some stretches. The only downside is the lack of any proper hotels or rest areas. Door to door, it took us about 7 hours including a couple of short breaks.

Pramod, I guess the road condition being a mixed bag is with reference to the TVS Attibele road. How is the Palacode-Rayakottai road condition. Good that you did not come via Rayakottai-Kelamangalam-Attibele SH.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by NPV

Most of the restaurants don't open till 6:30am At best, you may get coffee if you reach before 6.30.
What time did you reach the Vaikundam Saravana Bhavan ?
You could have possibly tried the next Saravana Bhavan on right side (when going from Bangalore) about 10-15Km after Vaikundam ? Or the Anandha Bhavan also on right side before Avinashi bypass ?

Narayan ji, that's the weirdest part - none of those hotels, I repeat, none of these usual pitstop points were open even at 07:30hrs. I passed Vaikundam before 6, and we did stop momentarily at the others you mentioned, just to ask them if they'll open anytime soon. But no luck. The bright side was that we didn't lose time and avoided all the morning traffic

Originally Posted by sachinpk

So is it safe to assume that they don't start serving food before 0630hours?

Not quite so. We've had breakfast from the same place earlier this year, at around 6 o'clock.

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

I guess the road condition being a mixed bag is with reference to the TVS Attibele road. How is the Palacode-Rayakottai road condition. Good that you did not come via Rayakottai-Kelamangalam-Attibele SH.

The road condition is a mixed bag wrt the entire stretch. Palacode-Rayakottai was the better one of the lot.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Made a quick trip to Palakkad and back over the weekend. Stuck to the NH all along. Started from Bangy at 03:05hrs, and reached my destination at 08:43hrs, covering a distance of 410km. ....
...............................
Was driving a lot sedately, yet this was one of the quickest. Road condition has improved markedly beyond Walayar - both sides of the dual carriageway are open continuously for long stretches, until Chandranagar.

I too did an early morning dep from Blore on this route - my travel was until ernakulam. Although, much better than, say, 6 months ago, there are still 3 major sore points in the entire route :

1) between kumarapalayam & coimbatore L&T bypass - idiotic "joints" on flyovers - i want to lay my hands on the engineer who looked at the way the concrete block and the road have been joined and said "umm, that looks ok" - although sufficient warnings exist (in the form of 30kph boards and "shivlingam" shaped hump symbols) , this really gets to your nerves - unlike other road defects, to which we can grudgingly attribute natural occurrences (sun/rain/traffic density/bus stops etc etc) this abomination on civil engineering is PURELY because somebody was dead-lazy and managed to bribe enough officials to pass this kind of work as "OK".

2) between L&T bypass end till walayar - there is a reason why patchwork should be called "patchwork" - it is meant to fill up sparsely occurring potholes - it will make more economic sense (less labour, less duration) to actually "re-lay" this stretch than to create jolt-inducing patches every 2 feet.

3) chandranagar-bypass to vadakkanchery - same as (2) above, but to a lesser extent.

[SyncNest]

Hi All,

I am travelling to Alleppey from Hyderabad in a couple of days.
My itinerary
25th - Hyderabad to Bangalore
26th - Bangalore - Alleppey
27th - (sightseeing)
28th - Alleppey to Horsley Hills
1st - Horsley Hills to Hyderabad

Pointers for 26th - We will start as early as we can. Hoping to reach Coimbatore by lunch time. I have done this road before (on my way back from Munnar). But I don't know how the road is beyond Erode. From Google maps it looks like a 4-laned highway all the way to Cochin. Please confirm

Pointers for 27th - which one is good- houseboat or shikara? I am travelling with my wife, sister and brother-in-law. Anything else we can squeeze in after finishing backwaters? Anything within 50 kms from the city should be fine. Not very far, because we have to conserve energy for the long return journey on the subsequent days

Pointers for 28th - Yercaud is near Salem. Is it worth the detour? We have to make it to Horsley by night.


How about these 2 possibilities. How insane or how doable are these
1) If not on the return leg, can I think of driving to Yercaud on 26th instead? I still have to make it to Alleppy that very night.

2) Can I drive to Kodaikanal? I love this place; went there in my ninth grade. Since We are anyways driving all the way from Hyderabad to Kerala, we can make some edits to the itinerary. Is kodaikanal possible on 27th? In which case, my 28th would be Kodaikanal - Horsley Hills

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by SyncNest

Hi All,


Pointers for 26th - We will start as early as we can. Hoping to reach Coimbatore by lunch time. I have done this road before (on my way back from Munnar). But I don't know how the road is beyond Erode. From Google maps it looks like a 4-laned highway all the way to Cochin. Please confirm


Pointers for 28th - Yercaud is near Salem. Is it worth the detour? We have to make it to Horsley by night.

Bangalore- Coimbatore L&T By-pass is now completely 4-Lane. Should not take you more than 5 hours of driving time. L&T By-pass up to walayar border is 2 lane. 4 Laning is happening on the Walayar Palakkad stretch with large parts complete. Palakkad-Thrissur is mostly 2 lane (4 laning happening). Thrissur-Cochin is 4 lane.

Don't think a detour to Yercaud is worth it at this time of the year.

[ambivalent_98]

I went to Kochi in October. The road till about 50 kms from Bangalore to Coimbatore is good. Beyond this point till Coimbatore bypass the road is strange. It was being built and had plenty of speed breakers. Coimbatore bypass is pathetic and that extends into Kerala upto Palakkad. Beyond Palakkad bypass some patch is single with good tarmac and about 50 kms before Kochi the road becomes 4 lane.
So I did Bangalore to Coimbatore in 4 hrs and they took 5 hours to travel till Kochi beyond Coimbatore which distance wise is lesser than the Bangalore to Coimbatore bit.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

between kumarapalayam & coimbatore L&T bypass - idiotic "joints" on flyovers - i want to lay my hands on the engineer who looked at the way the concrete block and the road have been joined and said "umm, that looks ok" - although sufficient warnings exist (in the form of 30kph boards and "shivlingam" shaped hump symbols) , this really gets to your nerves - unlike other road defects, to which we can grudgingly attribute natural occurrences (sun/rain/traffic density/bus stops etc etc) this abomination on civil engineering is PURELY because somebody was dead-lazy and managed to bribe enough officials to pass this kind of work as "OK".

Those expansion joints are left like that because the entire road surface needs another layer (maybe two) of asphalt, and only then will the joints and the road will be at the same level.

I doubt the govt has "passed" this work, because if they actually had done it, then we'll be paying toll for this abomination as you rightly said.

There are rumours that the contractor had filed for bankruptcy, and there's some tussle going between the NHAI and them. The last I heard, the contractor, who happens to have taken the rights to BOT the NH47 between Walayar and Avinashi as well, has agreed to arrange funds and complete the work. These are purely hearsay, mostly from the toll booth operators and the odd security guy that you end up seeing at one of the booths.

Another grouse I have, which you missed - the L&T bypass. I don't get the logic of paying Rs.31 (which is more than Re1/km), and yet having to cross an umpteen number of toll gates, two signals (which are jokes - those private buses and TNSTC buses from/to CBE city merrily barge in regardless of the signal) and not to mention the undulating surface. The road hasn't seen a fresh layer of tar for, I guess, more than a decade.

Had I been headed to Kochi like you, I would've preferred the Pollachi route (considering my car) to the Walayar route.