[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

But yesterday I realised that there was major traffic jam on JVLR (thanks to Google Maps - Traffic) I took Aarey Road. To my surprise the road is in much better condition than what it used to be couple of months back. Though still there are couple of bad patches but in general the road is quite OK now.

Thanks,

The problem on the Aarey road is that it is a single lane road all the way through. So there are always cars/bikes trying to overtake each other on the narrow road and they drive straight into the oncoming traffic and then dunk right back when they realize they cannot complete the overtaking.

*Flashback start*

I had an almost bad experience - a black Scorpio with jet black tinted windows and a number plate in Marathi font was trying to overtake a bus which had stopped for passengers. I driving in the opposite direction and this guy tries to intimidate me into submission. I did not and came to a halt right next to the bus with the Scorpio in front of me. When I rolled the window down and told the driver to use his brains before trying something like this, the rear door opened and 2-3 hefty unruly men jumped out of the Scorpio.

I just slotted the car into gear and took off leaving the men standing there and a line of traffic on both sides of the Scorpio.

*Flashback over *

The other issue is the exit road at the end of Aarey road towards Powai is very narrow and invariably there are jams happening all the time.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

The problem on the Aarey road is that it is a single lane road all the way through. the rear door opened and 2-3 hefty unruly men jumped out of the Scorpio.

Yes. That is true. Aarey road is indeed very narrow & jams are possible anytime. But many times there is huge traffic jams on JVLR & WEH which pushes me to venture out on Aarey reoad.

Regarding unruly drivers, that is the sad story on Indian Roads. People are evver ready to abuse & fight even if they are at fault. I don't understand, wh are people so much in angry mood while driving?

Thanks,

[Desmosedici]

Keep your cool whatever happens. I just let people pass. It works very well for me. I dont want to beat others nor get beaten nor get my passengers who are family & friends get beaten and in the process get my vehicle damaged.

I just let people drive the way they want. Keep a straight line, maintain your lane especially on Aarey Road, speeds between 30 - 40kmph and you will be good.

Even if its my side of the lane and someone is overtaking (or coming from the other direction), i let them pass. I get delayed by a few seconds, i lose momentum, have to brake, change gears and then go. But peace of mind is more precious.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

Keep your cool whatever happens. i let them pass. I get delayed by a few seconds, i lose momentum, have to brake, change gears and then go. But peace of mind is more precious.

Appreciate the thought & actions.

Almost the same is what I follow, though sometimes, I have lost temper, but I never get involved in abuses or get physical. Because I feel there is no point doing so.

No matter how hard we try, but some people are never going to change & it is only better for us to accept the situation & adjust overselves. Infact I have seen people loosing tempers on road & drive in frustration. Finally once they reach home this pressure is released when they throw abuses on innocent family members, who have no clue on what this person is angry?

I feel it is more important to reach office / home little late & in cool state rather than frustrated & exhausted.

Thanks,

[carzone]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

I just let people drive the way they want. Keep a straight line, maintain your lane especially on Aarey Road, speeds between 30 - 40kmph and you will be good.

Even if its my side of the lane and someone is overtaking (or coming from the other direction), i let them pass. I get delayed by a few seconds, i lose momentum, have to brake, change gears and then go. But peace of mind is more precious.

Originally Posted by Jignesh

I feel it is more important to reach office / home little late & in cool state rather than frustrated & exhausted.

Thanks,

Thats the way to drive in between morons.
Recently had taken a 90KM trip on the NH8 from Mumbai to Mahalaxmi temple, Dahanu.
While going, I did maintain a good speeds of about 100+Kmph whenever I got some space. It took 1 hour and 6 minutes for me to cover 85 kms and the average speed as shown by the GPS was approx 77kmph.

While returning, it was afternoon and I wanted to drive at a leisurely pace. Decided to keep it around 80kmph. The needle kept hovering around 80 most of the time with short bursts to 100 for overtaking.
The time I took to cover 80Kms was 1 hour and 20 mins approx.

This brought me to the conclusion that taking undue risks will save about 20 minutes from your time, which is not worth risking your life. Moreover, the average I got was while returning was way better that what I got while going.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Started from Powai, dropped off a friend at the airport, now on the way to pune. Absolutely no trouble and minimum traffic on the roads. It's actually quite serene and beautiful to drive, considering the current situation.

Best buses are plying, but not a single auto or taxi on the roads.

Did Prabhadevi to Goregaon via Worli-Bandra Sealink and SV Road in 30 minutes yesterday. That too I was keeping speed sedate to avoid attracting unwanted attention else would have been able to manage faster! Cops were deployed almost all the way and very helpful in redirecting (e.g. from WEH to SV Road at Bandra). It was peaceful but nerve-wracking. My return to Pune was delayed till mid-morning today because of a flat tyre. Even today there was less traffic than usual and was able to do it in quick time.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by noopster

Did Prabhadevi to Goregaon via Worli-Bandra Sealink and SV Road in 30 minutes yesterday. That too I was keeping speed sedate to avoid attracting unwanted attention else would have been able to manage faster! Cops were deployed almost all the way and very helpful in redirecting (e.g. from WEH to SV Road at Bandra). It was peaceful but nerve-wracking.

We seriously need a carpool thread on this forum! It took me just 2 hours from domestic airport to Pashan - left airport at 9 and reached home by 11! And this was with zero over-speeding.

Best part of the deal - zero tolls! Neither on the Vashi bridge, nor on the expressway. Saw a lot of sumos/vehicles with the saffron flag all over the highway heading towards Pune - I trust I have these fellows to thank to!

Somehow I enjoyed the drive a lot more than my normal taxi-trips over the other weekends, the weather was perfect for a drive and the empty roads really helped the cause.

My return to Pune was delayed till mid-morning today because of a flat tyre. Even today there was less traffic than usual and was able to do it in quick time.

On a brand new tire? That is really hard luck, boss.

[ghodlur]

Thane traffic update:

The flyover at Patlipada on the Ghodbunder Road was thrown open to public yesterday amid political ceremony. This has eased the traffic a bit but yesterday there was a huge cloud of dust post the inaguration making it a bit difficult for motorists to travel over the flyover but today morning it was a breeze driving over the km long stretch.

The Manpada flyover will be ready by March 2013 end whereas the Majiwada flyover is expected to be ready by end of 2013.

[ninjatalli]

New Year long weekend update:

People heading towards the southern suburbs over this weekend, please keep your car documents with you, and even then be ready to shelve out a few bucks. And please do not drink and drive.

Had been to Fort yesterday night, returned back via the Eastern express highway around 11.30 pm. Till Parel, it was fine with average traffic. Then the Dadar - Maheshwari Udyan flyover took us over an hour to pass, with traffic moving at a snail's pace. Reason : Heavy police checking at King's circle (end of the flyover). From the outside it looked as if they were checking for drunk driving, halting each car on the main road. Not really.

Any car with sunfilm, the cop asks them to move to the side and show documents. So was the case with me. Had all the documents, and completely sober; not that it mattered as he never checked for that. Signals towards the film and tells me he's going to remove it asap. Rules have changed apparently.

I tell him the ruling has come out since months, why the sudden drive now. No use. Had to pay a bribe as he wasn't even interested in giving the challan when I asked him to; the request (from my side) immediately turned into a threat of removing the film right there. Saw others too being handled the same manner.

I guess this "drunk drive" checking is going to happen till 1st.

P.s. similar checks were occurring at Sion too. No such checks after Chembur till Powai.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The Manpada flyover will be ready by March 2013 end whereas the Majiwada flyover is expected to be ready by end of 2013.

Hello,

Good to know that Patlipada flyover on Godhbunder road is finally ready & thrown open to traffic. This brings some good news to residents of this area & people passing through Godhdunder Road.

But unless the other two flyovers (Manpada & Majiwada) are open, the traffic situation will not improve here. They have taken literally ages to construct these flyovers.

Also I recently happened to pass through Godhbunder road after midnight & was struck in traffic jam which was for almost 3 / 4 kms. These was near the Godhbunder creek & vehicles were mostly trucks & trailers piled up one after another. Probably they were coming from Bhiwandi / Nasik & enoute to NH8. It this the traffic situation same every night on Godhbunder Road?

Thanks,

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Also I recently happened to pass through Godhbunder road after midnight & was struck in traffic jam which was for almost 3 / 4 kms. These was near the Godhbunder creek & vehicles were mostly trucks & trailers piled up one after another. Probably they were coming from Bhiwandi / Nasik & enoute to NH8. It this the traffic situation same every night on Godhbunder Road?

Its the case almost every alternate night. Me too have been stuck in the traffic many a times while coming back from Borivli. The Octroi near the Ghodbunder Creek holds up the traffic due to the tanker/trailer traffic happening mostly at night and also coz these heavy vehicles are not allowed in the Thane city from 7 am to 8 pm.

[sa_kiran]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

But unless the other two flyovers (Manpada & Majiwada) are open, the traffic situation will not improve here. They have taken literally ages to construct these flyovers.

Also I recently happened to pass through Godhbunder road after midnight & was struck in traffic jam which was for almost 3 / 4 kms. These was near the Godhbunder creek & vehicles were mostly trucks & trailers piled up one after another. Probably they were coming from Bhiwandi / Nasik & enoute to NH8. It this the traffic situation same every night on Godhbunder Road?

Thanks,

Manpada and Majiwada flyovers are nowhere near completion. I've been seeing them for over 3 years, there seems to be very little progress. At the current rate, it will be another 3 years before they are completed.

The other day, I was coming back from Pune and had to take a u-turn under Majiwada flyover on Easter Express Highway (EEH). It took me 25 minutes to move about 30 m, around 6:30 in the evening. I see jam every night on this stretch (vehicles coming from EEH and going to Godhbundar road). There are no traffic lights under the flyover and this compounds the problem during day time as well.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by sa_kiran

Manpada and Majiwada flyovers are nowhere near completion. I've been seeing them for over 3 years, there seems to be very little progress. At the current rate, it will be another 3 years before they are completed.

I see jam every night on this stretch (vehicles coming from EEH and going to Godhbundar road). There are no traffic lights under the flyover and this compounds the problem during day time as well.

Manapada flyover is half complete, one side is done. The Thane side needs to be completed which is taking unneccessary time. Regarding the Majiwade flyover, I guess by my retirement it should be functional.

The Majiwade area is horrendous for traffic be it evening or morning. Absence of traffic signals, manual manning makes the stretch a nightmare to cross. Also the bus stops are right in the middle of the road. A few meters ahead the road widening is held because of a temple which is bang in the middle of the road.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by sa_kiran

Manpada and Majiwada flyovers are nowhere near completion. I've been seeing them for over 3 years, there seems to be very little progress.

Hello Sa_kiran,

My feelings are absolutely mutual.

When I first passed through Godhbunder Road sometime in November 2009 the barricades were in place & the work had started on these flyovers.

Now it has been more than three years & only two flyovers (which are relatively shorter in length) are complete & open to traffic. The work on other two flyovers is nowhere near to completion & I feel they will not be complete by December 2013, as claimed by authorities.

The worst part the stretch of the road below these flyovers is in really bad condition & I literally fear crossing these junctions.

Thanks,

[Jignesh]

Hello Mumbai folks,

A piece of good & bad news (depending on the way you look at it):

The portion of JVLR Junction, below the flyover, approaching from Western Suburbs (Borivali side) is finally closed for Cement Concretization. Basically this is a four lane road & Cement Concretization for two lanes was done couple of months back. The remaining two lanes were really in bad shape & authorities seem to have finally woken-up & decided to improve this stretch. This is the good news, as this will be a permenant solution to traffic snarls at JVLR Junction from people coming from Goregoan & wanting to take left turn into JVLR.

The bad news, the junction will be jammed for most of the day as only two lanes are now open for traffic for next couple of months & starting today morning the traffic was slow for more than 1 kilometer.

Thanks,