[ghodlur]

Today crossing Mulund toll at 5.30 pm was an absolute breeze. No traffic whatsoever. Normally the lanes are overflowing with the vehicles jostling for space but not today. Even the Eastern express highway was not crowded as usual.

The Saki vihar road from Hiranandani signal (Powai Plaza) to IIT market is the new spot for traffic jams. Even since the service road near IIT was ploughed to make new one, the three lanes of Saki vihar rd cannot handle the traffic causing jams right till IIT market signal. Add to that the stupidity of traffic cops who stop heavy vehicles for surprise inspections right after IIT main gate which further fuels the jam.

[ghodlur]

Today while coming to office in the morning, after the Mulund toll the road repaving on the immediate flyover is being undertaken. This caused the traffic diversion to below the flyover with not a single traffic cop available to regulate the traffic. All the cops were busy supervising the paving works. I fail to understand why would someone keep his senses at home and order the road paving in the mornings during peak rush hour and that too on the side which is towards Mumbai. Shame on the authorities and the cops who forget their main duties.

Took me complete 15 mins to cross the 200 mtrs stretch with every vehicle wanting to go first and inching closer and closer to your vehicles. Dangerous situation with no patience.

[honeybee]

That flyover seems to be under repairs all the time. I have yet to see it smooth and level for even once after it was built.

[ghodlur]

Paving of the roads after the Mulund flyover towards Airoli/Ghatkopar is ongoing due to which two lanes are cordoned off. People using this route need to take into account any hold ups in the stretch between Airoli and Mulund flyovers.

Also observed that the road on the Mulund flyover towards Thane has been paved but made extra smooth and glisten. There is a serious reflection of the surface during the afternoons sufficient to blind the driver. And also there have been no stone chips put in for the grip. This is going to be a major issue during monsoons and the stretch is going to be very slippery.

[Lij]

Came across the below 2 articles while browsing the internet -

http://www.asianage.com/mumbai/msrdc...ivate-firm-584

http://www.moneylife.in/article/msrd...oll/46580.html

A Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed that though a private company was entrusted the task of collecting toll and spending the same on maintenance of flyovers in the city, it is the state that has been doing maintaining flyovers.
On the contrary, it was the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) that ended up forking out Rs 119 crore on the flyovers.
The MSRDC had appointed the Mumbai Entry Point (MEP) Infrastructure Private Limited in 2010-11 to collect tolls at the five entry points of the city and use the money collected from it to maintain 31 flyovers in the city and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The five entry points in the city are Vashi tollbooth, Mulund tollbooth on the Eastern Express Highway, Dahisar tollbooth, Airoli tollbooth and Mulund tollbooth on the LBS Marg.

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by Lij

Came across the below 2 articles while browsing the internet -

I think everyone knows that the toll collection is a scam. Big money is collected and there is no accountability. After lot of protests by certain political parties, they started displaying collection information at some booths. But I think, that also may be incorrect.
I am not averse to pay toll ... just make it efficient and easier, so people can pass through toll booths faster.
There should be some online facility to pay tolls or why not introduce some prepaid coupon system.
The ETC system is not working. I do not see many cars using them.

[ghodlur]

Thane Municipal Corporation plans to build 3 tiered elevated roads to decongest the busiest junction in Thane i.e Teen Haath Naka. As is known, there are 12 roads leading to and away from the junction and is known to be a nuisance spot during peak periods when it comes to traffic jams. The TMC is proposing to spend Rs 300 cr to eliminate the congestion problem by constructing 3 tiered elevator roads. With proper traffic management, the situation could have been handled well. The need of the hour is expanding the Kopri rail over bridge from the present 4 laned to atleast 6 laned. The Kpri ROB is a major traffic jam spot during the peak traffic periods and nothing is being done for the same. A petition has been filed for the cause but I doubt if that will have the desired effect.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/51915678.cms

[PGNarain]

Navi Mumbaikars please beware if you travel into mumbai today.

I had to catch an early morning flight and saw that there was a HUGE line of trucks waiting at the Octroi Post after vashi Bridge and had occupied a good 2-3 lanes, which almost always leads to jams.

If that was not enough, there is a fire on the Mankhurd - Ghatkopar link road, near Govandi (i think) and cops had blocked the turn from under to Mankhurd flyover, so all traffic was diverted towards Chembur.

If the above 2 conditions still exist during office times in the morning - it is going to be madhouse. Please check congestion, try take an alternate route and best of luck!

[Desmosedici]

http://www.dnaindia.com/locality/mum...otorists-92185

Another flyover between Goregaon West and East. This one starts at Ram Mandir Road - SV Road junction at Goregaon West and has 2 exits on the east side, 1 next to Hub Mall on the service road and 1 on WEH towards Jogeshwari. The surface is very uneven, looks like the authorities opened it up in a hurry.

In the evening, i havent seen many taking this flyover from east to west. Looks like most people still dont know that its open.

This flyover is best for people who want to reach Nirlon or Nesco easily from Goregaon West.

Both, this and the JVLR - SV Road flyover are suppossed to be double decker flyovers. It remains to be seen when the double decker work gets completed.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

Another flyover between Goregaon West and East. This one starts at Ram Mandir Road - SV Road junction at Goregaon West

Another flyover which invites you to hell during peak hours, known as WEH !
Travelled on this new flyover in the past couple of days, it is beneficial for those who stay at Goregaon/Malad (west). Its virtually empty most times.

[AkMar]

Aarey colony has become a huge nightmare in the evenings (I don't take the route in the morning) since a week or two! Almost daily it takes more than 45 minutes to cross the stretch from L&T Powai to WEH. Wrong side driving is shockingly rampant. The wrong side driving oversmarts end up blocking traffic in the opposite direction also (it is a divider-less road). Whenever a vehicle approaches from opposite direction, they try to squeeze into the correct lane, further blocking traffic. At times I have seen 3 rows of Goregaon bound vehicles. It is truly a free for all. Poor chaps in the other direction face snarls for no reason - just due to the stupidity of people going towards Goregaon.

The road via New Zealand hostel is closed for traffic by dairy authorities. That contributes to additional load on the main road.

[ghodlur]

Has anyone passed through the Hiranandani garden signal on the Saki Vihar road recently? This signal takes the credit for the maximum violation of traffic rules. If one tries to approach from Hiranandani garden to reach Eastern express highway, vehicles not only occupy the two laned road but also the other two lanes meant for approaching Hiranandani garden from Saki Vihar road. 2,3 and 4 wheelers blatantly flout the rules and occupy all 4 lanes creating a chaos at the junction. Add to that the less time the signal stays green for vehicles coming from Hiranandani gardens, its a virtual scramble to get past the signal. A dangerous situation leading to maximum road rage. If someone reports this to the traffic authorities, a cop is deputed who adds to the chaos because of his super direction judgement.

Getting past this signal between 5 and 6 pm is one exercise one can use to build up resilience.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Has anyone passed through the Hiranandani garden signal on the Saki Vihar road recently?

Exactly which signal are you referring to? There is no such signal on Saki Vihar Road AFAIK. If you are referring to the main Hiranandani signal near IIT (the junction having Pizza Hut, Saffron Spice etc), then yes I agree. It is a nightmare coming from Hiranandani.

PS: Saki Vihar Road is the road from Saki Naka to L&T and further towards Aarey colony. This signal is on JVLR itself.

[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by AkMar

Aarey colony has become a huge nightmare in the evenings (I don't take the route in the morning) since a week or two! Almost daily it takes more than 45 minutes to cross the stretch from L&T Powai to WEH. Wrong side driving is shockingly rampant. The wrong side driving oversmarts end up blocking traffic in the opposite direction also (it is a divider-less road). Whenever a vehicle approaches from opposite direction, they try to squeeze into the correct lane, further blocking traffic. At times I have seen 3 rows of Goregaon bound vehicles. It is truly a free for all. Poor chaps in the other direction face snarls for no reason - just due to the stupidity of people going towards Goregaon.

The road via New Zealand hostel is closed for traffic by dairy authorities. That contributes to additional load on the main road.

Hi Akmar,

I am assuming you work in Powai or beyond and commute using Aarey. If I may suggest, I always check traffic using the Google traffic on the maps and it is accurate most of the days.

I work at Powai and while leaving for Home in Borivali, check the traffic on google maps and take the route which shows less traffic(Aarey or JVLR). What I have observed is in the last 2 weeks JVLR was free of traffic atleast till Majas Depot at 08:30 PM.

I fully agree that Aarey is a "Free for all" where well educated folks drive like goons bullying even the BEST buses coming from the opposite direction. The authorities are simply turing a blind eye to this daily situation inside Aarey, sometimes the locals residing inside aarey can be seen controlling traffic flow at the Marol naka junction.

The proposal for the new GMLR will ensure that no authority will take up this matter. It is as simple as seprating the two up and down lanes with dividers and they could have easily done so when they relaid the aarey road last year

Regards
Dieseltuned

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by AkMar

If you are referring to the main Hiranandani signal near IIT (the junction having Pizza Hut, Saffron Spice etc), then yes I agree. It is a nightmare coming from Hiranandani.

Yes I am referring to this signal.
I don't understand on what logic are the signal timings decided? Does anyone review them based on the traffic density. 180 secs for vehicles moving on the JVLR and 20 secs for the vehicles moving to and from Hiranandani gardens. Atleast in the evenings, they could strike a balance. Due to the less time to get across the signal, people violate the traffic rules and put others and themselves to risk and road rage.