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-   -   How old businesses suffer when new highways, bypasses & flyovers are made (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/258112-how-old-businesses-suffer-when-new-highways-bypasses-flyovers-made.html)

The 2006 Disney movie "Cars" has this town of 'Radiator Springs', which was supposed to be a popular stop for passengers along Route 66, until a new highway bypassed the town, causing it to be forgotten.

I was reminded of this recently.

We live near Kengeri on the outskirts of Bangalore. Every once in a while, usually on Sunday mornings, we drive to Bidadi and have the famous 'Bidadi Tatte Idly' breakfast.

We usually go to the restaurant "Shree Shivasagar". My family and I love the Tatte idly and vada there, but the place will be extremely crowded. Many times, we had to sit on the steps and have breakfast since we could not get a table.

Yesterday, we thought, why not drive on the new highway and go to Bidadi. So we started. I was not able to really figure out where we have reached, highway was smooth, and it goes on without any exit or entry.

When I crossed a bridge, I noticed the WonderLa ride visible at a distance, so I realized we are going past Bidadi. After that my wife and I were desperately looking for a way to exit the highway.

We could not find any exit that is marked. But after driving for some time, we saw a break on the side fence and a road, something like an exit. We took it, we looked for the road that is the 'previous Mysore road' and drove back to Bidadi through the road that was completely damaged at many places.

At Bidadi, we had a hard time spotting the place, because the restaurant looked very different without the large crowd that is usually gathered around it. Somehow my wife recognized the steps down from the road where we usually sit, and stopped and went to the restaurant.

It was very different. Not many people. The usual queue that spills outside is absent. Most tables free, and workers are almost idle.

And the road in front of the restaurant "The mysore road" was completely empty. Hardly any vehicles on the road. On the drive back home, we saw many of the usual breakfast places were closed - which is not normal for a Sunday morning.

What is happening at Bidadi is going to happen at Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya and all such towns along the Bangalore - Mysore road. Many businesses are going to face a tough time. But I guess these are cycles of business. They need to find ways to lure people out of the highway, or relocate to near exits etc. Or maybe when the proper Exits are constructed, hopefully there will be ones that goes to Bidadi and other such towns.

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

It's a matter of luck and no business can plan for this. I have also seen many businesses (especially petrol pumps & restaurants) lose 90% of their business overnight once a new highway or flyover is built. Sad, but not much one can do, other than adapt. There used to be a very famous restaurant for batata vada (potato vada) in Khopoli called Ramakant Vada. Was on the old Mumbai-Pune highway and a MUST-STOP for anyone driving to Lonavla or Pune. In fact, my parents used to drive to Khopoli just to eat + drive, and then return home. When the Mumbai-Pune Expressway opened, his decades-old business just vanished. What he did? Adapted. He opened up a food stall at the expressway food court, right at the start, and was doing good business the last I checked.

If you can't change the world around you, change yourself :).

While I do feel sorry for the restaurant workers, feel relieved about not having such crowded restaurants en route on highways. The tatte idly places in particular used to cause bottlenecks because of the crowds and lack of parking. Often idiots would park right on the highway. Not to mention their idiotic practice of getting their security staff to wave people in, even with a red light stick/wand at night. Very distracting to see someone in uniform waving a red light on the highway at night, and that's not even an official/cop! The kamats restaurant is another menace with idiots reversing out in to the highway when they are done with their meal.

There should be designated food stops, off the highways, with well-designed entry/exits. But yes, again, do feel sorry for the workers of these restaurants. It's highly unlikely that the same small restaurants will get a chance to setup an outlet at these food courts, it'll be mostly franchise fast-food chains.

This is such an incredible coincidence. My wife and I used this new Bangalore -Mysore Expressway en route Ooty on Saturday 16 Oct and returned on the same route on Sunday 17 Oct. We talked about EXACTLY the same topic and made the EXACT Same reference to Radiator Springs from Disney Pixar’s Cars, on the way out and in.

While it is so true that the local businesses and employees will be affected, it is also necessary to build these expressways and super highways with the future in mind. There are plenty of clear working references available across the world in the various places that our great bureaucrats and politicians visit on study tours to understand infrastructure. They can easily plan and implement things in this manner. Rest and Service areas with predictable hygienic experiences relating to Food, Washrooms and Convenience Stores etc, should definitely be an integral part of any highway.

The challenge here though, will be the land acquisition piece and the time it will all take.

Very sad for these businesses but in the larger picture the city/country benefits. Time and money is saved travelling. Accidents are less, especially on divided and fenced off highways, since there are much less people and animals running across roads at random places and pollution is reduced with more efficient travel.

Unfortunately many of these small businesses cannot relocate to the food/fuel stops along these highways because of cost and many of these being on proprieter owned lands

The old road being badly damages is sheer apathy. I don't see many people choosing the older scenic route to enjoy the breakfast places even as an alternative, with the roads being bad.

Two weeks back, my wife and I thought of the JoladaRoti lunch at Kamat. On taking the new highway, we just couldn’t locate where it was. And the gmaps was not at all helpful. We took an almost 30 km run for a U turn and a detour to the old highway and reached there. Only to find that it’s very very different from the Kamat of the older days. No crowds. Could park inside their place. Service is suddenly top notch. Steaming hot food. Smiles from all the staff.

I’m not at all complaining. It’s useful to keep highways clear of people who just park on the sides or when suddenly stop on seeing their food joint, causing enough mishaps. I actually like the highways fee from any clutter. I am a big fan of the food courts on the Mumbai Pune expressway. They are far away from the main carriageway and have enough signs for entry/exit and actually doesn’t trouble people who don’t want to stop.

I’m sure Kamat guys must be scouting a better place for their restaurant. Adaptable business models will find a way out.

I live exactly near Rajarajeshwari Medical College where the new expressway starts, this road has eased the traffic movement and a special mention to the 4.5 km long flyover which bypasses many junnctions. We also once missed the road to Bidadi and had to cover the entire bypass and come back, it was very difficult as it was during the night.

The problem is the work is not completly finished but it is opened for traffic and I could already see some accident videos on youtube. Particularly signboards are missing or not proper and many diversions which confuses the drivers.

Coming to Bidadi Tatte Idly, I think the regular customers will still keep coming once they sort out these initial confusions. Many times I could see people driving till this place only for breakfast..

Small businesses were hit hard by COVID. People who put in their life savings to buy properties thinking they'd save on rent & keep costs down for their customers were left without food on their own table, many for almost 2 years.

Impossible for many to adapt when their investments turn worthless because business vapourised.

Most "adaptable business models" will increase costs and thereby prices, which would price-out large sections of the population.

When the Bhopal-Indore highway got bypass sections for towns enroute, the biggest loss was the restaurant (Pawan?) near Sonkatch bus stand.

Fantastic snacks: poha-jalebi, samosas and oh the mawa bati! Even the meals were lip-smacking.

Namesake stuff available at food courts along the new highway are barely even a poor imitation.

It's a faster commute now on fantastic roads, but the old route had soul.

Everything is a cycle and it's inevitable that these type of things happen - due to new roads or frequently due to new restaurants. I was one of those guys that was unhappy when A2B replaced Darshinis and other restaurants on highways and in Bangalore - I need my fix of sweet-spicy sambar. But now the local restaurants are back with a bang on the highways and no dearth of sweet-spicy sambar frequently. I was upset when Kamat on highways reduced cleaninless or lost popularity. I was upset when Swiggy Instamart / Blinkit replaced my neighbouring provision store, the owner of which I share a good friendship with. Im upset that Hassan-Sakleshpur stretch lost so many trees.

Inevitable, yet upsetting. I hope the restaurant owners realize this and treat customers better when they are doing well. In bangalore and highways around Bangalore these days, it's a don't care attitude towards customers. If you don't go, there is always another one to take your table ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Unnecessary nostalgia in my opinion. These outlets more times than not indulge in illegal construction, enroachment on public space, hap hazard parking, poor hygiene, tax evasion and are a threat to public safety. They thrive at the expense of hapless travellers who would do well to reach their destination quickly and safely. Good riddance I would say.

The Indian economy is modernizing. Rent seeking risk free business models should go bust. That is the only way to make the Indian economy competitive. For those who are enterprising, there is enough risk capital available to fund a good business/ businessman.

In addition to what GTO shared, some places still are able to pull in crowds inspite of these highways. The dhabas between Mumbai & Pune on the old highway still attract huge crowds (atleast the popular ones do). The expressway has zero equivalent options to match what these dhabas offer. As a result, many people (including bhpians) do detours or specific trips only to these dhabas.

Similarly are the chikki outlets in Lonavala city erstwhile on the old Mumbai - Pune highway. I have many times got off the expressway and entered the city just to pick up the chikki from one of the main shops. So it will be still a mixed bag experience - some businesses will survive, others will shift or close up.

Pune has always been a two wheeler town, which in the old days meant bicycles. The only "public" transport back then was the Tanga/टांगा (horse drawn cart)
In 1940, the administration awarded a contract to Silver Jubilee Motor Company (yeah that Silver Jubilee motors) to run a bus service. Four routes were identified.
Swargate to Station
Swargate to Shivajinagar
Lakdi pool to Pool gate
Station to Lakdipool
The fare was set to 1 anna.

This tear in the traditional social fabric caused such furore amongst the Tangawalas, that they went on a strike but to no avail. Within a few decades, they went extinct as the "modern" autorickshaws arrived on the scene.

Like GTO rightly pointed out, it's adapt or perish. Thats the way Darwin framed it.

The Pune Mumbai route has several examples of businesses going belly up once the Expressway came up. The old Pune Mumbai highway was as notorious for breakdowns in the ghats, as it is famous for the weather, especially in the monsoon. Several businesses mushroomed due to this highway: right from eateries, to garages catering to burnt clutches to hotels. Now, they cut a sorry figure as only the odd vehicle will take the old highway vs. the EW. Kamath right under the Lonavala - Khandala ghat section had such crazy footfall that you'd have to wait for hours to get in, now; one section is kept unattended on most days.

As India rapidly builds up Expressways across the country, most of which are greenfield projects, and will be access controlled, this will be more pronounced.

There's also insane politics over such things. Eg. when a flyover in Pune was being commissioned, the exit ramp was deliberately planned just after a very popular mall - rumoured because a deal wasn't reached. Positioning, alignment and several such parameters can often be influenced, and not necessarily be the most optimum / efficient.