[--9--]

Unfortunately - this has become an everyday scene here in Pune. Situation is worse in Hinjewadi in peak hours.
While I cannot preach to these unruly drivers - I do make sure to sarcastically smile at them muttering "Kaay chalay he?" ("What's going on mate?").
More often than not - people do get embarrassed and get out of your way.

[alfafan]

Friends - very bad traffic that too very early in the morning at 8 AM on the pune bypass near warje. Road repairing activities are being performed on the patch of road, what worried me is that this is taking place during peak hours of this road being used for people traveling mostly to Hinjewadi and Mumbai

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by luvDriving

I do not know what caused this incident and who was at fault (the biker clearly crossed all limits with this behaviour but no idea what caused him to do it). What was shocking and depressing was that no one from all the crowd came to the alto's help or even tried to pacify the biker. Indeed a very depressing sight of increasing rage and decreasing civic sense / humanity on the roads these days.

I had started keeping a can of pepper spray in my front door storage. I kept it exactly for such situations. When this happens, spray it on that guys face and escape from the scene. If there are family members or other people in the car, ask one of them to start recording on mobile. It can double up as an evidence if the matter reaches the police.

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

That was close !!!

Yesterday morning while driving to office, one lady riding her Activa with her small son as pillion, skidded in front of me. This happened at the busy junction of Paud phata from Karve road side, where Karve Road and Paud Road join. There were 1000s of people at this junction, which is normal.

It was an extremely close and a very lucky escape for me. The lady skidded and fell right in front of my car. I braked really hard and stopped at a distance of probably less than a foot. I had my heart in my mouth, thinking that if my car touches that woman even slightly, i am dead. People around me are going to thrash me to pieces.

Luckily, the lady immediately got up and ran for her kid. The kid was also fine and the people told me to go as nothing critical had happened. When I started moving, I realized one biker had banged from rear, not his fault actually as I braked really hard and suddenly. His Splendour bike's handle had got stuck under my car. So I got down in the middle of the junction, helped him pull the bike out and then left.

Before leaving I asked the lady if she needed any help, but she said she was fine. I dont believe in luck much, but probably I was lucky yesterday.

Vista's non-ABS brakes have never failed me in the 65000 KMs running. There were 3-4 such situations and the car has stopped immaculately.

I felt like I was borne again and it was a new day, in Brian Adams' words "Its a new day, its a new start."

Same exact situation happened a few weeks ago bang opposite the Inorbit mall signal (in the direction towards Kharadi). I was doing about 40-50 4th gear - when a lady with two kids as pillion (a 5-6 year old carrying a toddler girl in his arms) fell in front of my car because an idiot tried to overtake her and happened to tap her bikes rear. It fishtailed and almost as a reaction I braked even before she fell. The kid had presence of mind to shield the toddler and took the scrape on his arm. The woman was bleeding due to a cut because the sunglasses she was wearing cracked and hit her on the side of her head. I probably stopped about a foot behind her. Thanks to defensive driving, predictive braking and the brakes on my 75K kms non abs vista!.
I checked on the lady, most people gave a earful to the guy. I actually advised the lady - wear a helmet and ensure that if you are taking your kids take a rick. Gave the young kid a pat on his back for his presence of mind (I shudder to think if the toddler would have hit the tarmac) along with a bar of chocolate which I had in the car.
I sometimes wonder - why do people not take a rickshaw or cab esp. in unruly and crowded cities like ours. Cost saved is not that much when you compare it to what could happen to your loved ones.

[kutoos]

Originally Posted by luvDriving

Why do we have traffic cops in Pune ? What is their purpose being on the road ? Why not just have some civilians dressed as traffic cops stand at the signals with significantly less pay ?

@iluvDriving, I agree that most of the traffic cops stationed at major junctions in Pune are mute bystanders, however let me narrate a fresh perspective of the two incidents which i've seen recently

Episode 1: Time 7.15 PM Location : Junction next to IBM/BMC Yerawada

The traffic light just turned green to let the flow move towards the Golf Club road and further down to Bombay Sappers, when suddenly there was a whine of an ambulance coming from yerawada side going towards Nagar Road.

There were two cops standing, one immediately came in the middle of the moving traffic and stopped them, while the other actually requested the other side to make way for the ambulance.

They made the traffic wait till the ambulance cleared out of the junction.

All this while while the traffic was standstill, at least 10 - 15 bikers managed to squeeze past the cop and cross the road gloating heartily.

Kudos to the cops who proactively made an effort to save someone's life. As for teh two wheelers, their attitude reminds me of the poem by Alfred Tennyson (Charge of the light brigade)

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

I close my rant with the quote "God helps those who help themselves", and to my inconsiderate brethren, i do pray that you get home unscathed.

Cheers


The railway under pass near poultry farm near khadki is now closed for repairs. What used to be a 15 minute commute to reach esquare is now a nightmare in the evening peak hours as now i have to take the kahdki police station underpass or take the sancheti hospital route.

I guess the saying choosing between the devil and the deep sea is very apt in this case.

Cheers

[S_U_N]

I am surprised that no one here is ranting about the horrible traffic mess that is now a regular affair on Nagar Road (near Chandan Nagar).
A slight drizzle is enough for the signals to stop working (I wonder why).
And then there is chaos.

It took me more than 1 hour starting at 8:30 PM to reach from Kharadi to Viman Nagar (Novotel Signal) last night.
All the potholes filled earlier are washed out and now they are exposed again.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

I am surprised that no one here is ranting about the horrible traffic mess that is now a regular affair on Nagar Road (near Chandan Nagar).

It took me more than 1 hour starting at 8:30 PM to reach from Kharadi to Viman Nagar (Novotel Signal) last night.
All the potholes filled earlier are washed out and now they are exposed again.

I travel on the same route everyday, but at 5 PM. Its impossible to drive after 6 o'clock on this stretch of the road. Torture is a very soft word to describe the mess.

[rav11stars]

yet another addition to the thread albeit a small one though. I was driving to work in Hinjewadi, my sedate self wondering why the rains stopped this morning when the IMD predicted all hell will break lose.
Right after the Infy circle I see a Ritz overtake a slowly moving bus. I'm following at a safe distance and am on the right most lane. I follow suit to continue on the lane and overtake the bus but noticed that it is slowly inching into my lane and I'll not have space to overtake.

I honk to let him know my presence, but it's still inching. He stops and I too stop. Then I see an auto parked in front of him. Funny thing is he didn't put out his hand to indicate he's changing lane.

The driver, probably 40-50s in age, looks out leisurely out of the window. I raise my hand to say "sorry, didn't notice" and drove off. I should have thought there's something in front of the bus due to which he's changing lane, but then it's slow and maybe I missed it. Blame it on the Monsoon laziness :P

Well, to escape I can always say he didn't indicate he's changing lane, but then that'd be expecting too much.

[ajay_satpute]

Today morning, I saw this Skoda Laura MH-12 GR 6548 being driven by a maniac of a driver. For the size of that car, the scene was really scary. The driver was pushing the car in every possible nook and corner of the road to overtake, by hook or crook. He even drove for few meters with two LH wheels on the footpath, just to overtake an ST bus. What's the bloody need to do this???

The car first went past me at Sangamwadi bridge at break neck speed and then he jumped all signals and I again saw the car at the Shastrinagar signal. There too he stopped just because there were 2 cars in front of him and a bus on the LHS, otherwise he would jumped that signal too for sure. And then he continued his maniacal adventures till the Kharadi junction. God save his soul and of those who come in his way.

[freedom]

COEP flyover is now open. A big releief for people coming from RTO and heading to JM Road.
Once you are past the jam at RTO, you will get a smooth ride till Deccan.

Here you get the usual dose of 'swarm of idiot bikers' coming from "River side road" and wanting to go to Goodluck.

[zalaps]

Originally Posted by freedom

COEP flyover is now open. A big releief for people coming from RTO and heading to JM Road.
Once you are past the jam at RTO, you will get a smooth ride till Deccan.

Here you get the usual dose of 'swarm of idiot bikers' coming from "River side road" and wanting to go to Goodluck.

Good to see update on Pune thread. Thanks.

Guys,
All BRTS stretches are completely functional now?

[freedom]

Originally Posted by zalaps

Good to see update on Pune thread. Thanks.

Guys,
All BRTS stretches are completely functional now?

Aundh to Ravet is operational.

Not sure about other routes.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by freedom

Here you get the usual dose of 'swarm of idiot bikers' coming from "River side road" and wanting to go to Goodluck.

Weren't they going to make it a one way, i.e. vehicles could only go towards Bhide bridge from Deccan?

Cheers,
Vikram

[saurabh2711]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

Today morning, I saw this Skoda Laura MH-12 GR 6548 being driven by a maniac of a driver. For the size of that car, the scene was really scary. .. way.

Ajay Sir,

Perhaps god heard your prayer "God save his soul and of those who come in his way".
The "6548" is spotted again, on tuesday at Hinjewadi. I was writing the post when i realised that this legend is not new to this thread.

For a change, there is absolutely no traffic on the Hinjewadi till phase2.
He was behind me from Hinjewadi flyover. Was driving like "I have no words" .
To my utmost surprise, this guy has a sticker at his rear glass, which reads "Hey Watchout - I drive like you".
I thought of removing my "I drive safe" & "LTD" immediately. Because niether he was driving safe, nor was in a mood to live any longer.

Later I realised, he might be travelling here daily & is not used to drive in straight lines because of Bumper to Bumper traffic here. Hence even on straight "empty" roads, he preferred to to traverse each & every lane of the road available. With obviously no use of indicators.

I could only see him till Hinjewadi chowk (Due to fairly straight line of sight), after which he dissapeared..

Now I pray "God save his soul and of those who come in his way".

Regards,
Saurabh.

[Hurrycane12]

Chande-Nande road traffic is likely to be affected after 1830 today. There is a local Urs celebration planned along with a procession.