[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by SDP

Then what exactly has changed during this week because of which the EE highway gets jammed every morning?

More cars on the road because of rains? Or may be due to more indisciplined driving under the excuse of monsoon?

EE highway gets jammed for the same old reason, absence of any dividers at the signal for turning towards Powai. Thanks to private and public buses and indisciplined drivers who for god only knows feel that they need to be the privileaged ones to proceed first. . Add to that the irregular functioning of the EE highway signals leaving to the traffic cop to handle the smooth flow.

[esma1981]

Any BHPians driven thru the Eastern Freeway do share the experience. I'm mostly going to try and do a to and fro run tonite just for the heck of it

[green_wheel]

Originally Posted by esma1981

Any BHPians driven thru the Eastern Freeway do share the experience. I'm mostly going to try and do a to and fro run tonite just for the heck of it

Not to discourage you, but actually tonight and tomorrow may not be such a good idea as you can be sure that every other person in and around the Eastern suburbs is planning to do the same for the weekend. For all you know there will be a very annoying mother of all jams stretching from start to finish - similar to what happened on the BWSL in its initial days.
The best time to do a run will be on Sunday night when everyone is in mourning due to the coming week.

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by esma1981

Any BHPians driven thru the Eastern Freeway do share the experience. I'm mostly going to try and do a to and fro run tonite just for the heck of it

I'd suggest you check that the freeway is actually open for public use before you try it (I dont know how though - Mumbai Trafic Police?).

I read in the papers today that it'll be opened for use only on Saturday as the pandal for the inauguration by ministers has yet to be dismantled fully.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

EE highway gets jammed for the same old reason, absence of any dividers at the signal for turning towards Powai. Thanks to private and public buses and indisciplined drivers who for god only knows feel that they need to be the privileaged ones to proceed first. Add to that the irregular functioning of the EE highway signals leaving to the traffic cop to handle the smooth flow.

There used to be a divider at some point in time 7-8 yrs ago, a waist-high one. I remember seeing a couple of call center cabs doing unsuccessful attempts to climb over it back then and it was soon removed. Those were good 'ol days of light traffic on EEH so cabs used to do breakneck speeds and my drive from Thane to Vikhroli barely took 20 mins at an easy pace.

This spot is going to get worse due to the bad design of the flyover - one way only. The Toll booth at Thane is also becoming a major bottleneck, although if its resolved (somehow?) the bottleneck will just travel further down the road to the Ghodbunder road junction (used to be called silverline naka IIRC).

[SDP]

Originally Posted by gomzi

...
There used to be a divider at some point in time 7-8 yrs ago, a waist-high one. I remember seeing a couple of call center cabs doing unsuccessful attempts to climb over it back then and it was soon removed.....

Yes, that's true. During those days, one morning, I remember one truck which had razed a significant portion of the 3 feet high divider and the truck was stuck with the front wheels resting some 15 feet ahead! Its because of those accidents that the divider was eventually removed.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

EE highway gets jammed for the same old reason, absence of any dividers at the signal for turning towards Powai. Thanks to private and public buses and indisciplined drivers who for god only knows feel that they need to be the privileaged ones to proceed first. . Add to that the irregular functioning of the EE highway signals leaving to the traffic cop to handle the smooth flow.

As gomzi mentioned there was a divider. Even if a new divider comes in and extends let's say 100 meter before the actual turn, at the starting point of the divider, the exact same scene would repeat that we witness everyday.

There are no 'infrastructure' solutions to 'Common-sense', 'Civic-sense' and 'Discipline' issues.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by gomzi

There used to be a divider at some point in time 7-8 yrs ago, a waist-high one.
This spot is going to get worse due to the bad design of the flyover - one way only. The Toll booth at Thane is also becoming a major bottleneck, although if its resolved (somehow?) the bottleneck will just travel further down the road to the Ghodbunder road junction (used to be called silverline naka IIRC).

+1 to that, the real reason for the jam at the signal is unavailability of the two eay flyover, dont know who thought of having just one sided flyover.

Originally Posted by SDP

As gomzi mentioned there was a divider. Even if a new divider comes in and extends let's say 100 meter before the actual turn, at the starting point of the divider, the exact same scene would repeat that we witness everyday.
There are no 'infrastructure' solutions to 'Common-sense', 'Civic-sense' and 'Discipline' issues.

The other option is to force the vehicles coming from Airoli side to compulsarily take the service lane till the signal is crossed (& then join the highway) and have a divider bifurcating the 3 lanes on the highway so that the flow is increased towards Powai. This will required the island type thing to be shifted. I guess two lanes are sufficient for traffic coming from Mulund/Thane. What say - is this feasible?

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by SDP

Yes, that's true. During those days, one morning, I remember one truck which had razed a significant portion of the 3 feet high divider and the truck was stuck with the front wheels resting some 15 feet ahead! Its because of those accidents that the divider was eventually removed.

There are no 'infrastructure' solutions to 'Common-sense', 'Civic-sense' and 'Discipline' issues.

Now that you mentioned it, I remember that truck accident at that spot too! Its true about no 'infrastructure' solutions to 'Common-sense', 'Civic-sense' and 'Discipline' issues.

I've been working from home most of the time for the past few months, and now dreading an unavoidable trip I have to make to Juhu and back this evening exactly during the madness hours (calling it rush hour is too tame).

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The other option is to force the vehicles coming from Airoli side to compulsarily take the service lane till the signal is crossed (& then join the highway) and have a divider bifurcating the 3 lanes on the highway so that the flow is increased towards Powai. This will required the island type thing to be shifted. I guess two lanes are sufficient for traffic coming from Mulund/Thane. What say - is this feasible?

How about the the traffic coming from Airoli that wants to go to Powai? They'll end up coming out of the service lane at the break just before the signal - where the dumpers go into the marshland - and drive right across the EEH to make the signal - as a lot of bikers do today. That'll be even more hazardous.

As per me, only a flyover will sort out the mess. A flyover going straight on towards ghatkopar i.e. parallel to the current one or a flyover that takes traffic from EEH onto the JVLR (and hopefully over the small signal just before the rail overbridge).

Either way, the solution needs to consider traffic 20yrs hence. I think the main reason Mumbai's infrastructure is such a mess is because the people who planned it were catering to needs of the time, not of the future e.g. who would have thought 15yrs ago that Thane Stn would become the busiest in mumbai ahead of even CST/Dadar/Andheri?

And the infrastructure of the station itself is about the same as it was 10yrs ago (disclaimer: this is 2nd hand info, I haven't gone to Thane Stn. itself since 3-4 yrs). Similarly for the EEH, I dont seen any long term plan to decongest Thane traffic. On one hand there is the EEH Toll Booths and the JVLR signal, on the other hand the awful rail under bridge at Kalwa/Vitawa. I actually prefer going to the Vikhroli office instead of the Airoli one just to avoid the rail under bridge at Kalwa/Vitawa.

[esma1981]

Originally Posted by gomzi

I'd suggest you check that the freeway is actually open for public use before you try it

Actually I'm located not very far from the beginning of the freeway. Will do a drive thru from there atleast if I'm out for a drive tonite.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by esma1981

Actually I'm located not very far from the beginning of the freeway. Will do a drive thru from there atleast if I'm out for a drive tonite.

A photo-report (assuming that you won't click while driving) and a few lines articulating the first-hand-experience would be appreciated! Thanks in advance

[normally_crazy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aiI6xvpvgE

Not me but found this on you tube - let's see how many things wrong you can spot in this video.

When will we ever learn ?

[sourabhzen]

^^^
On the main forum page the thread along with your user id described it all - 'Mumbai Traffic - Normally_Crazy"

[esma1981]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

let's see how many things wrong you can spot in this

Look at the bright side. Atleast all the cars are on the correct side of the road. Plus the people driving can play the counting game of the number of people walking on the freeway.

[faustus77]

Jignesh/Sukhoi
Hi
The taxi fare for a flag down(rs 19) is for a distance of 1.6 km = 1 mile ( the old system of foot,pound and second) and subsequently per km.
AFAIK the Delhi auto fare has been hiked to rs 25 but for a 2 km(earlier 1.6 km) flag down distance.
I am surprised that Meru has started charging rs 27 for the first km. Earlier it used to be for 1.6 km. Or has it always been 1km?

Shankar.Balan
Hi.
That is the tragedy of India. Too many power centres/self seeking politicians and not enough heed to the consumer/the ordinary people. Just lip service
Regards

[neofromcapone]

SV Road outside Santacruz and Vile Parle is water logged, funneling traffic into single lanes and causing traffic jams. Plan our evening and return home accordingly, been told WEH better in terms of traffic flow.

[apachelongbow]

Eastern Express Highway EEHW is one of the better designed north south link in Mumbai. For most of the stretches it is a fast, smooth flowing tarmac stretch and on a good day (non peak hour) one can drive from Thane to CST in about 45-55 mins.
Couple of congestion points
1) Toll booth begining of Mulund
2) Traffic Junction for the right turn towards JVLR
3) Narrow bottleneck/traffic signal at Kurla/Suman Nagar Junction

Problem no 2 (JVLR turn) is purely the result of foolish Indians driving on a good road, no matter what solution the police tries to impose, these morons will try and create a bottleneck.
My solution: To get left on to the service road before this junction. The service road is very empty and free and I sail past the moronic crowd and would be near Ghatkopar/Chembur by the time a poor soul navigates the mess and clears the signal