[ghodlur]

Returning back to Thane from Pune on a Sunday evening is an ardous task. Started from Pune y'day at around 4 pm by Volvo and by the time we reached Panvel outskirts could see the traffic jam series beginning. First it was due to the road concretization near Panvel immediately after e-way, then it was on the Sanpada flyover where there was a pileup of 3 cars, Further a ST bus had gone off the road and fallen into a ditch near Kharghar which held up the traffic. Coming towards Thane on the Thane Belapur road saw 3 accidents and surprisingly all involved an i10, may be due to the surprise showers. In all the total time taken to reach Thane was 5 hrs instead of the regular 3.5 to 4 hrs.

Lesson learnt: Always leave for Thane on a Sunday early maybe 1pm ish considering the monsoons have onset.

[sameervg]

Last friday afternoon when I was driving on Mumbai-Pune Expressway towards Pune, observed police with speedcam near Khalapur. Also at second toll plaza police were checking each car's toll recipt. When I asked Police whether any special checking the reply was aap 3 minute pehele pohoch gaye". Later I realised I actually drove at 90 to 100 KMPH after Lonavala till Toll plaza and even there was not much traffic in Ghat section as well.
So Police are calulating time between two toll plaza by checking toll recipt timestamp.
This is in deed good for everyone's safety as well.

Cheers !

[amit]

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

Friends,

I would like to caution those travelling to Mumbai via the Mumbai-Pune expressway on the really bad traffic situation on the Dehu-Katraj Bypass road.
On the stretch alongside the Sameer Lawns and Sentosa resorts, there is a bridge construction going on. There is diversion which is just one lane wide and hence causes a severe bottleneck during peak hours. This is exasperated when there is a marriage ceremony going on in one of the lawns over there. Then the marriage party guests also tend to park alongside the road, causing further congestion. I was stuck at this spot for around 1.5 hours yesterday.

I was stuck on this road on June 2. I crossed Sayaji Hotel & Ginger at around 8.35 pm and then got stuck in the mother of all jams. By the time I crossed the under construction flyover which was the cause of the jam it was 10.15pm!!

[apachelongbow]

this monsoon got out some badly designed sections on the expressway. Most of the section just below the ghats (both ends) are badly designed with the slope of the road towards the central median. During heavy rains it results in water accumulation in pools on the high speed/overtaking lane, instead of the water draining out towards the road edges into the built in storm water drains.
These pools of standing water are perfectly designed traps for high speed motorists who will experience aquaplaning on the fast lane.

[yogeshnagpal]

Yesterday evening while coming back, on the expressway it was raining very heavily with limited visibility. Near the Khandala ghats I was shocked to see that on the left-most lane people had parked their vehicles and ventured out to take bath in the waterfalls, posing and taking pics (please note that it is a landslide prone area), slowing down traffic. There were at-least 50 vehicles parked. When will these morons get some sense.

I saw this happening for the first time. But honestly speaking, people driving Ventos and Scorpios and seemingly educated, capable of reading English (Landslide Prone Area), still doing such things. Where is the common sense?

I felt like getting down and slapping a moron or two.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by yogeshnagpal

I saw this happening for the first time. But honestly speaking, people driving Ventos and Scorpios and seemingly educated, capable of reading English (Landslide Prone Area), still doing such things. Where is the common sense?

Who says people buying Scorpio and Ventos are educated people? Most of the Scorpio and Endevours are bought by the rural rich, or semi urban rich business men/politicos or goons. Cant expect this thrashy lot to be educated or mannered in any way.
I wish there is really a landslide and a couple of such morons are swept away, that is the only way people will realise not to park and play under a loose soiled hill during rains.

[yogeshnagpal]

Forget landslide. But, as a rule of thumb, people are not allowed to stop their cars on a high speed corridor.

Where was the e-way patrolling police? Were they sleeping or hand-in-glove?


-Yogesh.

[coriollis]

Originally Posted by yogeshnagpal

Where was the e-way patrolling police? Were they sleeping or hand-in-glove?
-Yogesh.

Chill Yogesh! How and how many people will you educate? TII (This Is India)

About the police? You just said it. May be they have hand in playing ping pong..

[ninjatalli]

People traveling from Pune to Mumbai are advised to bypass the Panvel - Kharghar - Sanpada section. Heavy jams exist at all times of the day. Last 4 days I have been caught up in this jam during the day & night (even after 2 a.m).

Yesterday I took the Panvel - JNPT road - Uran - Palm Beach (road) route; a hassle free route. Thankfully the JNPT & Uran roads are in pretty decent condition.

Also if you are going towards Pune/Lonavala in the rains in daytime, expect to see large numbers of semi-nude guys dancing away to glory at the various waterfalls on the ghats, right on the expressway!!!

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

People traveling from Pune to Mumbai are advised to bypass the Panvel - Kharghar - Sanpada section. Heavy jams exist at all times of the day. Last 4 days I have been caught up in this jam during the day & night (even after 2 a.m).

Yesterday I took the Panvel - JNPT road - Uran - Palm Beach (road) route; a hassle free route. Thankfully the JNPT & Uran roads are in pretty decent condition.

Also if you are going towards Pune/Lonavala in the rains in daytime, expect to see large numbers of semi-nude guys dancing away to glory at the various waterfalls on the ghats, right on the expressway!!!

+1 to that Ninjatalli. Wonder why they started the road expansion just before the monsoons. The entire stretch you mentioned was good and doing well, till they started digging up sometime in April. I have been taking the Palm Beach route nowadays. Luckily, this road is well built and heavy vehicles are not allowed.

Every year during the first few weeks of the monsoons, I notice stupid guys on the expressway "enjoying" the rain totally oblivious to the danger they pose to themeselves and to other motorists. Only a big accident will open the eyes of the authorities.

[djpeesh]

Can someone please educate drivers on the use of blinkers. The correct procedure to follow on the expressway in the rain (not blinding rain) is to turn on your headlights (this automatically SHOULD turn on your tail lights). This is sufficient to notice you and using the blinkers while rashly cutting lanes just makes life harder for the rest of us (as the blinkers use the same lights as indicators). END OF RANT

[suniladhiya]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

People traveling from Pune to Mumbai are advised to bypass the Panvel - Kharghar - Sanpada section. Heavy jams exist at all times of the day. Last 4 days I have been caught up in this jam during the day & night (even after 2 a.m).

Yesterday I took the Panvel - JNPT road - Uran - Palm Beach (road) route; a hassle free route. Thankfully the JNPT & Uran roads are in pretty decent condition.

I had the same experience last week. Can you please advise on the exact exit point from the expressway, to get onto the Panvel-JNPT road. Is this at the point at which the expressway and the old NH4 intersect with a horizontal flyover. Also, please advise the point of connect/ turn off from JNPT to Uran road and then to Palm Beach Road. If I am not mistaken,the Palm Beach Road would take one to the Vashi flyover, where one can take a left towards the Vashi Bridge and thence to Mankhurd-Chembur-Mumbai.

[magneto]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

No Ambulances

Special truck lanes in the ghats

Toll Rates

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Can someone please educate drivers on the use of blinkers. The correct procedure to follow on the expressway in the rain (not blinding rain) is to turn on your headlights (this automatically SHOULD turn on your tail lights). This is sufficient to notice you and using the blinkers while rashly cutting lanes just makes life harder for the rest of us (as the blinkers use the same lights as indicators).

I think that a board or sign should be put up by the authorities to educate the ignorant drivers on the correct use of blinkers.

Note from Support - Please avoid quoting a large post as it inconveniences our mobile and small screen users.

Recently I was watching a trucker program on history channel and got a insight to the reason for trucks losing brakes on continues slopes or downhill.
When trucks use their air brakes continuously on downhills the air in the air tank gets dangerously low causing the brakes to fade and fail .
The design of the compressor is calculated on a speed to time factor to replenish the air .
I have always wondered why I see so many trucks smashed immediately after the khandala underbridge after the tunnel .
This could be one of the reasons along with the sharp turn .

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Can someone please educate drivers on the use of blinkers. The correct procedure to follow on the expressway in the rain (not blinding rain) is to turn on your headlights (this automatically SHOULD turn on your tail lights). This is sufficient to notice you and using the blinkers while rashly cutting lanes just makes life harder for the rest of us (as the blinkers use the same lights as indicators). END OF RANT

What about using blinkers upon entering a tunnel (raining or not)?
One idiot, one of my friend, was sitting next to me when snaked his hands to the hazard light button upon entering a tunnel.

I asked him: do you know what is the name of this light? HAZARD LIGHT.
When the vehicle becomes a hazard to moving traffic, that's when you use it!

Why would you want to switch it on while your vehicle is moving perfectly fine?

Originally Posted by magneto

Recently I was watching a trucker program on history channel and got a insight to the reason for trucks losing brakes on continues slopes or downhill.
When trucks use their air brakes continuously on downhills the air in the air tank gets dangerously low causing the brakes to fade and fail .
The design of the compressor is calculated on a speed to time factor to replenish the air .
I have always wondered why I see so many trucks smashed immediately after the khandala underbridge after the tunnel .
This could be one of the reasons along with the sharp turn .

But in general you are not supposed to use your brakes continuously downhill. Engine braking should be utilized (which means use the gear you would've to climb the same section uphill)

I can tell you one reason why liquid loaded trucks face a challenge. Inertia of the liquid. Take a bottle, fill half with water. Watch as it moves unpredictably ...

[S_U_N]

The road between Turbhe and the express highway is completed washed away at the moment. Please avoid.
Last afternoon was the longest ever for me to reach from Thane to Pune.