[vij4all]

Dear All,

First of all I would like to state that I'm extremely happy to be here finally and to be able to post - thanks to the moderators.

I've been a silent reader all these months and have lapped up every travelogue and route query thats probably posted here. Big up to HV Kumar, AK Roy and the others. You guys inspire me to take up this trip since airfares have gone beyond sanity.

This is my schedule for the trip this weekend for Ganapati in Mumbai - I'm essentially from Bombay and just moved to Chennai a few months back.

I will start from Chennai on friday afternoon around 3ish and reach Bangalore around 9ish. I have re read a dozen times the fact that the Hosur Route is the best albeit there are some crazy guys who drive on the wrong side of the road. will it be safe to assume that from electronic city into Bangalore around 8 will be relatively less traffic free ? I need to go to JP nagar and cannot think of any other alternative - though AK Roy, I know that you ahve mentioned about the Hebbal flyover route which is a diversion after Hosur.

Saturday early morning around 3ish I start for Bombay and though i know that there may be better routes, i m going to do the neelamangala route. Keeping in mind all the driving tips that i ve read - avoid stoppages as far as possible but dont exert, I atleast hope to touch Pune in 12 to 13 hours with an hour's break in between for lunch etc.

I will post my trip log after i reach Bombay and Im already excited...With me on this trip will be my wife and my almost 2 year old son. We usually convert the back seat into a comfortable bed for him and fill up the gap between the front and the back seats with lots of sofa back rest huge cushions.

Thanks for reading this - do let me know if there is anything i should bear in mind for the route although i beleive it is 90% stress free.

Thanks

[GenuineOptimist]

It is a cliche but invaluably worth repeating since you seem to focus on time - Your first, second and third priority should be safety. Don't bother to reach Mumbai in so many hours because, then you'll invariably be focusing on speed, which in my opinion, is dangerous, in a road trip of this scale.

Forget about hours/times and just focus on the road. Try to keep the speed at maximum 100kmph in golden quad roads and maximum 80 kmph in other two laned roads without a divider. You'll be fine.

Here's wishing you all the best.

[akroy]

Electronic City to Silk Board at 8PM will not be traffic free but you have no choice as you have to go to JP nagar. I hope you know the route from Silk board to JP Nagar (take left from Priya bakery (Opp. AXA bldg), the road will take you to Banerghatta road near mantri Elite, take right, you will see Mandovi Motors @ signal, take left for JP Nagar)

Abhi

[hrag]

The GQ route from Madras to Bangalore is safer. Good places to halt are Hotel Grand Krishna at Sathuvachari (just before Vellore) and Motel Rosin at Sinnamangalam (just after Ambur town). Watch your speed on the bridges at Pachakuppam (Ambur) and Vaniyambadi.

Some construction happening on the Hosur flyover - keep to the left lane.

You'll know when you enter Karnataka - the feedback from your tyres will ensure this. The stretch from the Karnataka border to Electronic City is a mess. Be extra cautious if it rains.

Good places to stop on the route from Bangalore to Bombay:
Cafe Coffee Day / Kamat Upachar - these are close to each other on opposite sides of the road around Dobbaspete.
Reliance A1 plazas at Chitradurga bypass (don't know if this is still open), Ranibennur (was open in the first week of June).

Tumkur bypass: watch out for the poor sign
Sira to Hiriyur is tolled
Chitradurga bypass is a mess (the windmills are a great sight here)
Not so good signs at Davangere and Harihar bypasses
Ranibennur - you have to go through the town, keep left after exiting the town
From Haveri onwards, you have great roads. You will enjoy the stretch from Belgaum to Kolhapur.

Bangalore to Poona is doable in 12 hours - don't push yourself or the car. I'm not very comfortable with your idea of the rear seat though. Sudden braking could be disastrous for a 2 year old lolling around in the back seat.

[vij4all]

Thanks and no im not pushing myself. I know that it is important to enjoy the drive rather than race against time but im just setting a time so i know indicative distance vs time. A couple of hours more will not matter. And as far as the kid sleeping in the back is concerned, you have to see the rear seat to believe that its so cosy and filled up that the kid will hardly feel he or she is lolling around in a vehicle - trust me i wouldnt want to take any chances with the safety of my child - thanks for your views again.

ps: am really really excited to be doing this today !

[muralisk]

There will be traffic all the way till JP Nagar. In fact, the traffic between Electronic City and Silk board is not that bad as it would be bad from Silk Board to JP Nagar. To avoid it, please follow the route that akroy had specified.

However, here is a word of caution. Starting from Electronic City to Silk Board, please ensure that you either stay on the main carriage way or on the service road. At most places, the road is adequately patched up so that you can seamlessly change lanes. But, please be careful as people still try to cross the road and not use the subways. Just watch out for them.

[pypkmsrikanth]

Hi I might be going on an official work to Mahabaleshwar from Chennai sometime in October, dirty mind in me is urging me to drive down, as two of us are going, instead of flying to Mumbai the previous day and drive down with the rest of my colleagues from Mumbai why not drive down all the way.

A couple of queries, was wondering if it would be better to take the Attibelle - Sarjapur - Devanahalli - Doddaballapur - Dobspet route to avoid driving though Bangalore which would result in waste of time or alternativley is there a way to reach Tumkur road through the NICE corridor. I drive a Wagon R, so too much offroading through NICE road may not help me.

I assume the overall time taken would be about 17 hours so its essential that I dont waste too much time passing Bangalore. I plan to start around 3 in the morning from Chennai so by default I would end up reaching Bangalore around the morning rush hour which is concerning me.

When I was in bangalore I have driven down upto Belgaum so I assume the only bad stretch would be between Chitradurga and Haveri with rest all being completed 4 lane all the way upto Satara.

Let me know the best way out.

Cheers.

Srikanth

[vij4all]

started at 4 30 pm frm adyar. cut through porur poonamalee and hit the 4 laned highway at 5 30, was doing a constant 110 all thre way at 3 rpm. Touched outskirts of bangalore at 9, only took a couple breaks for natures call and thren just when i was feeling nice n happy after i crossed a renaissance hotel on the outskirts and took a flyover THUD. In the middle of the flyover at 60kmph hit 2 huge potholes, the rearview mirror inside the car came down alongwith my moood n confidence now at jp nagar downing a breezer will leave around 4 in the morning.


Note from the Team-BHP Support : Please take the time to use proper punctuation as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid...typing...like...this. Thanks.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by akroy

Electronic City to Silk Board at 8PM will not be traffic free but you have no choice as you have to go to JP nagar.

He could use the NICE expressway from Hosur Road to Tumkur Road instead.

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by theMAG

He could use the NICE expressway from Hosur Road to Tumkur Road instead.

The NICE road which goes towards the left from Hosur Road after Electronic city, do I take that road, would it mean that I have to get down at the Bannerghatta Road cross over and then again get onto the NICE road, similarly cross over Mysore Road etc. or is there a road which goes towards Tumkur road via NH7 after Devanahalli.

I might be driving down to Mahabaleshwar in about a month's time from Chennai hence would like to byepass Bangalore's traffic if I could so that I save some time.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

A couple of queries, was wondering if it would be better to take the Attibelle - Sarjapur - Devanahalli - Doddaballapur - Dobspet route to avoid driving though Bangalore which would result in waste of time or alternativley is there a way to reach Tumkur road through the NICE corridor. I drive a Wagon R, so too much offroading through NICE road may not help me.

Take my word, it is better to take the following route (not devanahalli as u mentioned):

Attibele - Sarjapur (turn left @ sarjapur and reach ORR, actually you can also take right opposite TOTAL mall and reach Bellandur signal on ORR for some further shortcuts)
ORR will take you to Krishnarajapuram and from there go ahead towards Hyderabad. At Hebbal flyover take the NH7 right towards Hyd. In another 5 km, left goes to yelahanka and right goes to Hyd. Take left

Yelahanka - Dodaballapur (Dodaballapur there are signages for Dobbspet, 35km)
Taking this route you can easily do Attibele - Dobbspet in 2.5 hours max (at any hour), you can even do better. Roads are good throughout.

I can bet that taking through bangalore you can never reach Dobbspet in that time. Even if you do in say 3-4 hours you will be very tired negotiating the traffic.

PM me incase you need further clarifications.

Abhi

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by akroy

Attibele - Sarjapur (turn left @ sarjapur and reach ORR, actually you can also take right opposite TOTAL mall and reach Bellandur signal on ORR for some further shortcuts)
ORR will take you to Krishnarajapuram and from there go ahead towards Hyderabad. At Hebbal flyover take the NH7 right towards Hyd. In another 5 km, left goes to yelahanka and right goes to Hyd. Take left

This seems to be a good option as it would allow me to byepass the chaotic traffic from Attibelle upto Silkboard junction. Alternatively is NICE a viable option, as it would be even better I would avoid the entire ORR stretch.

[akroy]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

This seems to be a good option as it would allow me to byepass the chaotic traffic from Attibelle upto Silkboard junction. Alternatively is NICE a viable option, as it would be even better I would avoid the entire ORR stretch.

Taking that part of ORR is not that a pain as compared to Atibele to Ecity (if you want to take NICE road). It is full construction mode and you will get frustrated.
Plus there are additonal pain negotiating NICE road junction at Banerghatta Road.

Abhi

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by akroy

Taking that part of ORR is not that a pain as compared to Atibele to Ecity (if you want to take NICE road). It is full construction mode and you will get frustrated.
Plus there are additonal pain negotiating NICE road junction at Banerghatta Road.

Abhi

Thanks, looks like this is going to be the option which I would be taking. Now all I have to do is convince myself that 1100 kms is an easy drive

[vij4all]

trust me its very very doable - just completed one way on saturday with my wife and kid....im going to post the travelogue shortly...was exciting and frustrating at times - the bad stretch is not for 10 or 15 kms but a good 2 hours......right after the windmills near chitradurga till you cross rannibennur - yes there are some stretches in between which are doable in excess of 100 but the on the whole it leaves you quite frustrated and mouthing abuses - no offence meant