[speedmiester]

Tell me about it, driving to Mysore is becoming a nightmare these days.

It is really dangerous to drive on this road especially on Friday evenings or Sunday evenings. It is just like driving in bumper to bumper traffic but at speeds of more than 60Kmph.

I prefer to take a Volvo instead of driving these days for this particular reason.

If I have to drive, I usually start very early on Saturday Mornings by 4AM and reach Mysore by 7AM avoiding the traffic. While returning I leave Mysore by 4AM on Monday Mornings and reach back to Bangalore by 7AM. You will encounter very little traffic with no pedestrians and the biggest advantage is lack of two wheelers which are a big nuisance near all the towns en route to Mysore. The only problem is the sand laden trucks which occupy both the lanes at trot and 40Kmph affecting smooth flow of traffic.
I have memorized all the road humps and tricky spots on this road and hence can drive during odd hours. But still sometimes this road surprises with a unmarked road hump in the middle of nowhere.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Tell me about it, driving to Mysore is becoming a nightmare these days.

It is really dangerous to drive on this road especially on Friday evenings or Sunday evenings. It is just like driving in bumper to bumper traffic but at speeds of more than 60Kmph.

I prefer to take a Volvo instead of driving these days for this particular reason.
...

Why struggle taking Mysore Road when you can take the much more peaceful and scenic route via NH209 (Mysore-Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bangalore).

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by NPV

Why struggle taking Mysore Road when you can take the much more peaceful and scenic route via NH209 (Mysore-Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bangalore).

Kanakapura-Bangalore - again people drive like maniac there, driving in all possible lanes

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by NPV

Why struggle taking Mysore Road when you can take the much more peaceful and scenic route via NH209 (Mysore-Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bangalore).

This is even worse on the weekends. This is a two lane highway and people drive all over the road.

[theMAG]

High time someone saw the big picture and fast-tracked the BMIC.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by theMAG

High time someone saw the big picture and fast-tracked the BMIC.

True, however BMIC has lost its way in scandals. I dont think we can expect any road for next 4-5 years atleast.
There was news about NHAI planning to widen Bangalore- Kanakpura to 4 lane and also a so called expressway between Kanakpura - Mallavali- Mysore as an alternative for SH-17 (Bangalore-Mysore road). However not sure how KA govt will take that up since Kanakpura- Mallavali is part of NH-209.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiati...-and-bangalore

[NPV]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Kanakapura-Bangalore - again people drive like maniac there, driving in all possible lanes

Originally Posted by speedmiester

This is even worse on the weekends. This is a two lane highway and people drive all over the road.

Goes without saying (as with most highways now) that one needs to also time it well. Given the number of (and ad-hoc sized, located at will) speed breakers on the SH17 Bangalore-Mysore Road, I'd still go with NH209.

How I wish the BMIC or some other alternate comes up

Originally Posted by theMAG

High time someone saw the big picture and fast-tracked the BMIC.

[rogercharlie]

Travelling to Coorg on Thursday the 14th of Feb. plan to leave from Indiranagar at 6am.

On way back, will leave from Coorg at 8am on Sunday the 17th.

Would appreciate advice on wether to take SH17 or the Kanakpura route going, and coming back given traffic, Cauvery protests etc.

Don't mind travelling a few extra km for a peaceful drive.

Thanks in advance.

[kala]

Originally Posted by rogercharlie

Travelling to Coorg on Thursday the 14th of Feb. plan to leave from Indiranagar at 6am.

On way back, will leave from Coorg at 8am on Sunday the 17th.

Would appreciate advice on wether to take SH17 or the Kanakpura route going, and coming back given traffic, Cauvery protests etc.

Don't mind travelling a few extra km for a peaceful drive.

Thanks in advance.

During morning times SH17 should be quite OK from a traffic point of view. Even on the way back I think you would be passing that way before the really heavy evening traffic begins on SH17.

The Kanakapura route may be less crowded, but the stretch between Mysore and Malavalli via Bannur has quite a few bad patches and that route is about 10 to 15 kms longer, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you're travelling during the heavy traffic periods on SH17.

[nkrishnap]

There are too many rogues driving between Bangalore - Mysore route. Keep bullying around and pushing people off lane to overtake.

Most of these are not cabbies, its the educated so called breed, whose grey cells simply do not work and due to which no regard for fellow road users

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

This is even worse on the weekends. This is a two lane highway and people drive all over the road.

I find the Kanakpura road way better. Besides its a scenic route, so I would take this and drive at sane speeds that an undivided road imposes.

[NFS2024]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

There are too many rogues driving between Bangalore - Mysore route. Keep bullying around and pushing people off lane to overtake.

Most of these are not cabbies, its the educated so called breed, whose grey cells simply do not work and due to which no regard for fellow road users

Oh yea absolutely. I encountered one such rogue during my mysore drive last weekend and guess what it was an i10 with family who was driving like a maniac and was all over the road overtaking from left, right and center. I happened to give him a mouthful. Gosh am beginning to hate driving to mysore.

[kala]

My observation during my last few trips in the recent past has been that traffic on the Kanakapura road is also building up gradually. From Kaggalipura onwards (i.e the last 15-20 kms to Bangalore) it becomes almost like city traffic if you're driving in the evening. In addition the surroundings of the Art of Living ashram has frequent traffic jams due to some function or the other happening there. (Last weekend it was the Shivaratri crowd).

The only saving grace is that traffic towards Kanakapura side seems to be quite sparse during these crowded hours. So you do get some space for overtaking even though the road is a two-laner.

I won't be surprised if the traffic on Kanakapura road becomes worse than SH17 in another year or two !!

[deehunk]

There is one more alternate road to Bangalore just next to the Harohalli bus stand to your right if you are coming from Kanakapura. All you need to do is just get through the narrow road for a kilometre, then you get a good and wide road upto Jigani Industrial area with few bad stretches although not very bad. You will join the Jigani bye pass and it is also 10 kms lesser in distance and no toll. People staying nearby Banneraghatta can use this option. You can find this route in Google maps. This way you can avoid traffic after Kaggalipura and reach Bangalore easily.

[kala]

Originally Posted by deehunk

There is one more alternate road to Bangalore just next to the Harohalli bus stand to your right if you are coming from Kanakapura. All you need to do is just get through the narrow road for a kilometre, then you get a good and wide road upto Jigani Industrial area with few bad stretches although not very bad. You will join the Jigani bye pass and it is also 10 kms lesser in distance and no toll. People staying nearby Banneraghatta can use this option. You can find this route in Google maps. This way you can avoid traffic after Kaggalipura and reach Bangalore easily.

Actually I tried this road once when I had to drop someone at Electronic city while coming on NH209. But at the end of it I realized that I'd have probably taken less time had I taken the NICE road instead. Too many small villages / small residential layouts on this road slows you down considerably.

(It's also possible that I didn't take the right road. There were too many forks on this route and since I didn't really know which one was the best option, just looked at Google maps on my mobile and took the one that seemed closer to the direction in which I needed to go. It would be handy if you could mark the best route on Google maps and post a link)