[abhijitvp]

RFID based toll collection has been started. Last Saturday and this Monday it detected the Tag on my windshield and debited the amount. I think all lanes are capable of doing this. The Tag which is used on NH8 between Mumbai and Ahmedabad can be used here. As of now they haven't set up the office to distribute the new tags and top up the account but should be available very soon.
This should be implemented across all the toll booths in India as soon as possible.

[rtandon]

Originally Posted by abhijitvp

RFID based toll collection has been started. Last Saturday and this Monday it detected the Tag on my windshield and debited the amount.

Hi Abhijitvp, is there any online portal where we can request the RFID tag from? I didn't find anything on MSRDC's website.
TIA

[mayuresh]

Lane cutting fine has been increased to Rs 800.

If heavy vehicles must use left lane, does it mean they can't overtake one another? If an absolute slow mover heavy vehicle enters the highway it will create difficult situation.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/28302559.cms

[mayuresh]

Article claims Yamuna expressway to have better facilities than Pune - Mumbai expressway.

It's likely because the latter was built many years back. Of course that's no excuse.

The points in the article are:

- Lack of service roads, CCTV coverage, no dedicated police posts (old highway's police posts manage eway also)

- Lack of service roads leads to villagers bringing their vehicles on eway

- On the contrary Yamuna eway has better service roads, dedicated 3 subcontrol rooms and 1 main control room, full CCTV coverage with 19 cameras that makes it possible to detect accidents quicker and save lives during the "golden hour" which hardly happens on Pune-Mumbai eway.

http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.c...w/28299883.cms

[abhijitvp]

Originally Posted by rtandon

Hi Abhijitvp, is there any online portal where we can request the RFID tag from? I didn't find anything on MSRDC's website.
TIA

Unfortunately as of now no. Express tag helpline number is 18602670104. You can get more information there.

If you are from Mumbai then nearest place where you can get this is at Charoti Toll Plaza on NH8. They are going to setup one counter on Mumbai Pune expressway also but after talking to their staff at Talegaun Toll plaza seems it will take some time for that to happen.

Been to Gujarat last week and found that Vadodara - Ahemadabad NE1 expressway also started accepting this tag. So Pune to Ahmadabad cashless toll collection except Ghodbandar and Virar toll.

[amoghchaphalkar]

What I saw yesterday on the Express Way stunned me!

Just before Lonavala (Coming from Mumbai going towards Pune) I saw a cop standing with a speed gun. It didn't matter to me anyways since a friend who had passed that stretch earlier had called and warned me about the speed guns and asked me to stay below 100. (Apparently they were catching cars doing above 100 kmph). I passed the speed gun at a speed of 80 and was in the middle lane.

A few meters after the speed gun (must be 100-200) I saw cops standing in the middle lane (yes you read it right - middle lane) waving their hands / sticks / walkie-talkies and asking the "culprits" to pull over. This was resulting in panic braking and even the innocent pulling over (I pulled over too since the cop came right in front of my car waving his stick).

I parked my car and went to the officer who was "collecting" the fine. Conversation was as follows:

Me: "Mala ka thambavlat" (Why am I stopped?)

Officer: "100 chya var gaadi chalvat hotat tumhi right lane madhun" (You were driving over 100 kmph in the right lane)

Me: "Me middle lane madhe hoto ani 80 ni chalvat hoto" (I was in the middle lane and going at 80 kmph)

Officer: "Speed gun madhay record zalay. Tumhi 100 peksha jaasti speed ni chalvat hotat" (It is captured in the speed gun. You were going over 100)

Me: " Shakya nahi. Ek tar me middle lane madhe hoto. Mala ek Maruti Van overtake karun geli right lane madhun. Tya gaadila tumhi thambavla naahit. Mala photo dakhva majhi gaadi right lane madhe aslyacha ani speed gun chya reading cha" (Impossible! I was in the middle lane. A Maruti Van overtook me from the right lane. You did not stop that car. Show me the photograph of my car being in the right lane and the speed gun reading)

Officer: "Mag chukun tya van cha speed record zala asel. Nigha tumhi" (You can leave. We probably recorded the van's speed)

I doubt if this was a genuine exercise to stop the speeding cars. In all probabilities this was a "collection exercise" and the law of probabilities was being followed. Stop 10 : at least 5 will pay.

Needless to say after this spot there were no speed guns anywhere in the remaining stretch and many were easily doing high triple digit speeds.

[S_U_N]

Thanks for the heads-up. I have heard of the cops sitting in Qualis (or Sumo) with speed guns in their hands, but those are just stories. Never seen them first hand.

However, expecting someone in the middle of the road means, I have to be more alert next time.
I fear that someone will knock over this guy pretty soon.

[noopster]

That would have been hilarious if it weren't so shocking, Amogh!

About 12 years ago I was stopped on the Western Express Highway in Goregaon by a hawaldaar jumping in front of my (undoubtedly speeding) car. I had to jam my brakes without even checking mirrors and still came to a halt only inches from him. The speed limit was and is 60 and I was clocked at over 100.

I accepted my mistake and paid the fine but told the cop he was putting his life in danger over a fine. He nodded and shrugged saying the big bosses had ordered it. Fatalistically told me that it would not last.

Looks like they haven't learned. Hopefully this is a short lived thing as well.

[dean5545]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

What I saw yesterday on the Express Way stunned me!

Just before Lonavala (Coming from Mumbai going towards Pune) I saw a cop standing with a speed gun.

Happened to me a few months back while we were heading back to Mumbai.My speed is around 80kmph but still they stop me.I tell them that I wasnt speeding they tell me "we have caught you for seat belts!"Not driver but passenger side seat belts!

Didnt want to mess with them so just paid the fine of 100 and left.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by dean5545

Happened to me a few months back while we were heading back to Mumbai.My speed is around 80kmph but still they stop me.I tell them that I wasnt speeding they tell me "we have caught you for seat belts!"Not driver but passenger side seat belts!

Didnt want to mess with them so just paid the fine of 100 and left.

You mean to say that passenger side seat belt is not important? Sorry, don't want to offend you but your post sounds like you think only drivers are supposed to buckle up. If it's true then please understand that seat belts for passengers are as important as for driver!

[dean5545]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

You mean to say that passenger side seat belt is not important? Sorry, don't want to offend you but your post sounds like you think only drivers are supposed to buckle up. If it's true then please understand that seat belts for passengers are as important as for driver!

No way I am offended. What I wanted to say was that as soon as we protested against paying for over speeding he changed it to seatbelts. Meaning it's very difficult to get away without paying once you are caught.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

However, expecting someone in the middle of the road means, I have to be more alert next time.

The guy with the speed gun was standing on the divider (He too was in the firing line since there were no railings where he was standing) He was radioing information of the speeding cars to the other cops who were some 100-200 metres away. These guys were standing in the left most and middle lane.

Another friend messaged me after reading my post here that he just ignored them and continued driving. He wasn't stopped anywhere later on.

Originally Posted by S_U_N

I fear that someone will knock over this guy pretty soon.

In fact I did say to the havaldar while leaving that they were risking their lives. He clearly did not seem to be bothered.

Off topic wrt to this discussion but relevant to the expressway discussion:

The toll from Pune to Khopoli is Rs.99

The toll from Khopoli to Pune is Rs.124 (since you join at Khalapur toll plaza)

The distance between Khopoli exit (while coming from Pune) and the Khalapur toll plaza is 7 kilometers.

For 7 km they charge Rs.25 (Rs.3.5 per km!) Isn't this high?

[amit]

The expressway is a mess. The road surface is going bad by the day, the concrete road results in terrible noise inside the car and the planning is all wrong.

- Going towards Lonavala / Pune from Mumbai, when we come at the first toll, trucks coming from Pune cross over across the expressway to take some service road. This is pretty crazy. Didn't they think of this happening when they planned the toll plaza?

- Now after Adlabs Imagica has started, people coming from Pune come almost till the toll and then take a U turn to take the exit to Imagica creating havoc just after the toll plaza. Can't there be a exit for cars coming from Pune to Imagica?

- If I have to go from Chakan to Pune then there is no way I can get on the Expressway.

- Cars coming from Pune wanting to go to Talegaon / Chakan also have to proper exit. I think what you can do is pay the toll at the Talegaon / Chakan toll plaza then take a U turn on the expressway to go onto the other side of the road then take the Chakan exit!

- Many places there are no exit and entries for car's wanting to go either to Mumbai or Pune. It seems like MSRDC expects people to go point to point on the expressway. Did they make this road only for car's wanting to go from Mumbai to Pune and back? If so, why create places like Imagica along the expressway then?

As for over-speeding the cops just wave out to cars and fine who stops. It happened to me too. When I asked him why other car's are not being stopped the cop said when you go fishing you catch some and some get away!

[abhijitvp]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

Off topic wrt to this discussion but relevant to the expressway discussion:

The toll from Pune to Khopoli is Rs.99

The toll from Khopoli to Pune is Rs.124 (since you join at Khalapur toll plaza)

The distance between Khopoli exit (while coming from Pune) and the Khalapur toll plaza is 7 kilometers.

For 7 km they charge Rs.25 (Rs.3.5 per km!) Isn't this high?

Hi Amogh,

Please take route 2 instead of 1. It will cost you Rs. 99!

At point B you can take legal U-Turn (50 meters before toll plaza. It's safe.). I suppose extra toll is for the road that connects Express way to old NH4. Its good 4 lane road.

[ashtorque]

Originally Posted by abhijitvp

Hi Amogh,

Please take route 2 instead of 1. It will cost you Rs. 99!

At point B you can take legal U-Turn (50 meters before toll plaza. It's safe.). I suppose extra toll is for the road that connects Express way to old NH4. Its good 4 lane road.

Please note that this U-Turn you mentioned is not legal. Its a no-entry! A common mistake made by the uninformed and most probably a cop is waiting where this road joins the Pen road.