[binand]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

But we need not assume that if the crew inside the vehicle actually saw a motor vehicle accident they would just stay put in the vehicle and ignore it.

That was not what I was saying. My point was that if the crew saw someone overspeeding or otherwise driving dangerously, they can't sit back and simply cut a speeding fine to be collected at a later date, while the dangerous driver could cause an accident maybe a few kilometres ahead.

They have a duty to intervene then and there and remove such a driver from the road - it is their job responsibility. If they are neglecting that, then it is highly irresponsible of them (and the higher officers who asked them to do so).

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by binand

They have a duty to intervene then and there and remove such a driver from the road - it is their job responsibility. If they are neglecting that, then it is highly irresponsible of them (and the higher officers who asked them to do so).

If they really do that, i.e stop the vehicle & detain the driver, then they will have to park a truck/bus near by to take all the drivers to police station or the courts . And arrange for tow trucks to pull the vehicles clear of the road way . I don't think MV Dept or K.P has the means to do that. So at the moment it is a fine.

[etrast75]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Are both of you talking about the same exit or is it different?

No we are talking about different ways to get into the Sankari-Tharamanagalam road from NH 47. Forget the route I mentioned. Follow the route mentioned by arijith

Option 1:
Bascially you take a left from NH 47 into Sankari-edappadi road. (No flyovers. just ground level 4 way intersection. you will see signboards ). Go about a km in sankari -edapppadi road and take a right into a single lane road. Road is good. About 6 kms on that road you will hit the Sankari-Tharamangalam road. Take a left and you will be on your way.
Maps link
https://goo.gl/maps/54hGZ

There are other ways also if you want to avoid some truck traffic. Go further on Sankari-Edappadi road.

Option 2(Allows you to avoid some more truck traffic )
https://goo.gl/maps/q749b

Option 3 (join sankari-tharamangalam road further north allowing you to avoid more truck traffic)
https://goo.gl/maps/AYDww

I took option 3 couple of weeks ago. There is some constructions and diversions in the road connecting idappadi road and Sh 86 but manageable. Managed it in my jetta so any other car should do fine.

[binand]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

If they really do that, i.e stop the vehicle & detain the driver, then they will have to park a truck/bus near by to take all the drivers to police station or the courts .

This is all correct, but not related to what I was saying. I was saying that it is irresponsible for a superior officer to give directives to his on-road men not to prevent dangerous driving as and when it is detected.

Can an SP tell the beat policemen that instead of preventing robberies from happening, they should record robbers in the act so that evidence can be collected for prosecuting them at a later date?

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by binand

Can an SP tell the beat policemen that instead of preventing robberies from happening, they should record robbers in the act so that evidence can be collected for prosecuting them at a later date?

Not to deviate from the purpose of the thread, and not countering your view points as well. Consider this operation (of placing unmarked vehicles with people running the speed radar) as equivalent of Kerala Police's "Shadow Police". In shadow police work, the SP would detail a special squad to work in mufti. They may come to know through their informers of a major crime going to happen. But immediate arrest (by themselves) would blow away their "covers". So they would just pass on the message to their uniformed brethren who would make the arrests. The "unmarked car" may be in similar lines. Just like the idea of shadow police is to make a criminal assume that any person staring at him could be a police man, speeders would also have to worry if that innocent looking Wagon R parked on NH47 is actually a MV Dept. vehicle.

Any ways, my last post on this topic. Have a great day!

[pvgeorge]

Originally Posted by KrisSree

Need an update on the current road conditions between Madurai and Punalur/Kollam from any comrades who have taken this stretch.

Is taking the Kovilpatti/SankaranKoil/Puliyangudi road better compared to Thirumangalam/Rajapalayam/Puliyangudi.

H.

I would be taking doing this sector in second week of April.

Appreciate your comments.

KrisSree, Any update post your travel on this route?

[ARG]

Originally Posted by pvgeorge

KrisSree, Any update post your travel on this route?

George, if you're still looking for info on this route -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3689860

[bdman]

I planning on driving from Bangalore>> Beypore>>Kotakkal>>Cochin.. any recommendations on route and best time of the day to drive? I prefer night driving. But, I understand that the road through the forest is closed. All suggestions are welcome.. TIA

[binand]

Originally Posted by bdman

I planning on driving from Bangalore>> Beypore>>Kotakkal>>Cochin.. any recommendations on route and best time of the day to drive? I prefer night driving. But, I understand that the road through the forest is closed. All suggestions are welcome.. TIA

Beypore is basically a commuter town of Calicut; so just follow the recommendations on the Bangalore-Calicut thread (for overnight drive, the winner by far is Bangalore-Mysore-Gonikoppal-Mananthavady-Kalpetta-Calicut). If you arrive in Calicut in the wee hours of the morning just go through the city (skip both the bypasses); the turn-off to Beypore from NH 17 is at a place called Vattakinar which is well sign-posted.

Similarly Calicut-Kottakkal-Cochin is also a straightforward route; take NH 17 till Edappal (Kottakkal falls en route) and then turn off towards Kunnamkulam and Thrissur where you will join the southbound NH 47 towards Cochin.

[pramodpk]

The construction of the Madukkarai - Walayar stretch seems to have resumed. Saw some work happening. Spoke to the manager/supervisor at the BP petrol pump and he said that work has resumed and will be completed soon. That will be great news if true

[zenren]

I'll be doing Hyderabad-Trivandrum round trip next week and would be going via NH-47 and MC Road.

Frequent travellers, any specific places to watch out for en-route where the speed limit is lower than highway speed limit?

Also, what is the limit they are enforcing currently? 70 or 90?

[vasoo]

Reached Ernakulam and Kottayam last weekend through the classic route NH7 and NH47 except for the part from Omallur to Sankari. With a 5AM start, it took about 11 hours to reach Thrippunithura after 2-3 breaks for breakfast, lunch and fuel. While the overall situation has improved, the section between L&T bye-pass end and Kerala border and a good part of the road from Palakkad to Vadakkancherry is still under work. MC Road from Ettumanoor to Kottayam is still in pretty bad shape as has been for the last 5+ years. Not sure when this will ever get better.

Btw, has anybody tried the Kumarakom > Vaikom route between Kottayam and Ernakulam ? Is it any better ? I will be driving back on Saturday.

[binand]

Originally Posted by vasoo

Btw, has anybody tried the Kumarakom > Vaikom route between Kottayam and Ernakulam ?

A year or so back - it wasn't very appealing. Very narrow road with high traffic (tourists and pilgrims) lead to very slow progress. Any small perturbation has the potential to create a long bottleneck.

[Wind]

Last week I did a round trip to Kerala sticking to my usual route via Hosur, Salem, CBE L&T bye pass . Following are my observations:

1. FASTAG lanes are being constructed at all the tool booths in this stretch. Going by the pace of construction it should be operational within the next three to four months. The design of the FASTAG lanes vary from toll operator but the signage is consistent.

2. A new A2B has come up at Salem on the Salem Coimbatore stretch. It is on the left side about 3 KMs from the turn out from the Salem bypass ( towards Coimbatore) and 22 Kms before Vaikuntam Saravana Bhavan.

3. The restrooms at Vaikuntam Saravana Bhavan have undergone a makeover and it is much cleaner now.

4. Saw some construction activity in the Madukkarai - Valayar stretch. It appears that work in this stretch has restarted

5. The four laning work in the Valayar - Palakkad stretch is nearly completed and expect toll collection in this stretch soon.

-- Wind

[vnabhi]

Guys

I'm planning to go on a week's vacation in June/ July, and Kochi is one of the options. In all likelihood, it will be a driving holiday from Hyderabad. I was wondering if I could cover Kanyakumari also in the same trip and return from there via NH7. I heard driving from Cochin to Kanyakumari would be tortuous, so wanted feedback from Kerala experts. If yes, then perhaps I can forget Kanyakumari and return via Munnar or Valparai to make the journey less tiresome.