[sansvk]

Originally Posted by am1m

Now it's the other way. From the Koramangala side, pass the PSK (HDFC Bank building) in the service lane and take the left towards Sakara Hospital to reach the PSK parking. It's a one way from the service lane towards Sakara (though there will be enough idiots going the other way as well!).

Originally Posted by drive2eternity

Yes. This is correct. But I wonder why Google maps is asking you to change service lanes. You can continue on the left service lane opposite Ecospace and then take a left as suggested by Google Maps.

Thanks. So I can drop off right in front on the PSK on the service road and proceed to the parking by taking the left.
Never understood why Google shows a lane change.

Originally Posted by Acharya

Off late, I notice that google maps algorithms are failing for Indian (or Bangalore) traffic, many a times it will show you comparatively worse route instead of showing most optimum route.
In fact, I've started to use google map to check only the traffic density and decide my own route, I think it works faster.

Originally Posted by binand

Update from yesterday (this is a route I take routinely):

The one-way currently favours traffic exiting ORR. But the road has been resurfaced sometime recently; so the one-way rule is not particularly enforced (could also be weekend observation). You can certainly turn onto this road while going to the PSK parking.

While you can take both the left service road and the central BRTS lane, the latter is preferred because of (a) the PSK entry, and (b) Hyundai service centre entry both from the service road.

Thanks. Shall be using the service road.
For me, it seems like a yearly darshan to (in)famous landmarks (read as gridlocked areas) of Bangalore. It certainly does take some preparation before visiting these areas.

[NPV]

Couple of Bangalore road updates:
1. On ORR (in the Hebbal-Hennur Cross direction), from Hebbal BMTC Depot junction the right most lane is blocked off for white topping and the service road lanes are now used along with left most lane of the main carriageway. Be prepared for slow moving traffic, typically quite unpredictable.

2. Tried Airport/Bellary Road-Bagalur Road-Kannur Road-Hennur Road-ORR junction(Hennur Cross). Once you turn off to Bagalur Road from Yelahanka after IAF/BSF, the roads are great till you reach near Kannur village. From there it is rough till the junction of Hennur Road. Hennur Road itself is dug up at multiple places along the way near XLR8, Doddagubbi, etc for GAIL pipeline work and at many places, short sections are unusable/blocked. Road has caved it at many places, so just drive carefully especially when it rains.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by NPV

Couple of Bangalore road updates:
1. On ORR (in the Hebbal-Hennur Cross direction), from Hebbal BMTC Depot junction the right most lane is blocked off for white topping and the service road lanes are now used along with left most lane of the main carriageway. Be prepared for slow moving traffic, typically quite unpredictable.

Just a little tip on this route. The service road has just been asphalted and it is a very smooth drive. On the other hand, the main carriageway is a bumpy one until you reach the Nagavara flyover. So if you get a chance to stay on the service road, continue until you reach the beginning of the flyover before joining the main road again.

[sbkumar]

My daily commute from Jb nagar to kadubeesanahalli has doubled the last two days. It has been deteriorating the last couple of weeks. Anymore slowness I probably have to take a tea break in between. Any one has any idea why the bar has been raised recently ?

[vidyanand]

One of many one way violators doing this everyday next to E-City Phase 2 toll exit and arguing when there is no place to move left in traffic. Traffic cops are stationed 100 mts. away to stop 2 helmet-less riders but cannot control cabs and autos here.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Acharya

Off late, I notice that google maps algorithms are failing for Indian (or Bangalore) traffic, many a times it will show you comparatively worse route instead of showing most optimum route.
In fact, I've started to use google map to check only the traffic density and decide my own route, I think it works faster.

This is what I have always been doing. Using the live traffic status you can plan the route. Google route prediction does not take into account the change in traffic trend but just indicates if it's getting better or worse.
For example, I leave office at 430PM from Whitefield to Banashankari. The route it shows is through ring road. At that time, the ring road is shown pretty clear with a little jam at ecospace. But I reach ecospace only at 450PM by which the small jam would have worsened. Hence all through the Way the ETA increases. After this I stopped trusting Google ETA unless on a highway or open roads.

[ajayclicks]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Hence all through the Way the ETA increases. After this I stopped trusting Google ETA unless on a highway or open roads.

+ 1 to that. No matter what time I leave my home at near JP Nagar Metro to go to ecospace, the initial 10 mins are always an hour or less. It finally takes me 2 hours if driving, or 90 mins by car.

Regarding service roads- arn't the ones adjoining highways and ring roads supposed to be two-way. Maybe not in Bangalore due to heavy traffic, but that was the real purpose of a service road IIRC.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

Regarding service roads- arn't the ones adjoining highways and ring roads supposed to be two-way. Maybe not in Bangalore due to heavy traffic, but that was the real purpose of a service road IIRC.

As far as i know, service roads were 2-way in Bangalore when I was there till the end of 2016. I am not sure if things have changed later.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by audioholic

After this I stopped trusting Google ETA unless on a highway or open roads.

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

+ 1 to that. No matter what time I leave my home at near JP Nagar Metro to go to ecospace, the initial 10 mins are always an hour or less. It finally takes me 2 hours if driving, or 90 mins by car.

On a lighter note, no-one can predict Bangalore traffic, why blame Google? The only prediction that is true is that it's going to be bad. The varying degrees are just pure luck!

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by vidyanand

Traffic cops are stationed 100 mts. away to stop 2 helmet-less riders but cannot control cabs and autos here.

Cops have one agenda at a time, like catching helmet-less travel, or triple-ride, or modified silencers, or wheelies, or checking seat-belts, or checking PUC, or flagging commercial vehicles. They don't do two or more at a time.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by ajayclicks

Regarding service roads- arn't the ones adjoining highways and ring roads supposed to be two-way. Maybe not in Bangalore due to heavy traffic, but that was the real purpose of a service road IIRC.

Service roads are 2 ways. but during road works, they have been made into one-ways temporarily. Like this Hebbal to Hennur section due to white topping. Also on Hosur road due to Metro work. Pretty soon this will happen on Nayandahalli to Gorguntepalya section due to white topping(half the carriageway is already blocked here)

This service road concept is just not working in a country like ours with highly undisciplined and egoistic road users. I've been stuck in traffic for many hours on Hosur road because of this reason. People merging with the service road from the main road and vice versa get into a huge mixup. Opposite the washing machine building of Infosys, then Electronic city phase 2 entrance, opposite Audi showroom, Ananthanagar entrance and another opposite KFC at Bommasandra are the 5 major road blocks after NICE road towards Hosur road because of this service road

[binand]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

This service road concept is just not working in a country like ours with highly undisciplined and egoistic road users.

Another set of reasons is the number of locations where service roads and main carriageways merge, and the design of these merging points.

For example, the 5km stretch from Marathahalli till Iblur has probably about 20 locations on each carriageway where traffic can exit or enter the ORR - averaging one every 250m. This leads to a situation where traffic pileups in the service road will immediately reflect in the ORR. My view is that one every 2-3 km should have been the norm, and they should have designed the service roads for a bit more traffic density.

The second point is about the merging locations - they are in almost all cases, perpendicular to the traffic flow on both roads, and has traffic weaving. If you look elsewhere in the world, the merging points are designed as one-way ramps so that exiting or entering traffic do so at the same speed as the flow on the main road.

On the other hand, here in Bangalore if we implement the "right" thing in both above points we'll have traffic going the wrong direction on the main carriageway itself and also on the merging ramps. Better this way, perhaps.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by binand

For example, the 5km stretch from Marathahalli till Iblur has probably about 20 locations on each carriageway where traffic can exit or enter the ORR - averaging one every 250m. This leads to a situation where traffic pileups in the service road will immediately reflect in the ORR. My view is that one every 2-3 km should have been the norm, and they should have designed the service roads for a bit more traffic density.

This I agree for Hosur road too...

The second point is about the merging locations - they are in almost all cases, perpendicular to the traffic flow on both roads, and has traffic weaving. If you look elsewhere in the world, the merging points are designed as one-way ramps so that exiting or entering traffic do so at the same speed as the flow on the main road.

..but this I do not. It is very well designed in fact. It has a merging lane starting well before the actual opening. the road markings are also thicker at the start of this lane, very much like an autobahn. but this is lane is more often used by trucks for breakdown maintenence, used by people to board buses as an adhoc stop Thereby vehicles merging, merge perpendicularly creating a bottleneck on the main carriageway too

[binand]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

It has a merging lane starting well before the actual opening. the road markings are also thicker at the start of this lane, very much like an autobahn.

That is all fine. My points were different:

1. That every place where the ORR main carriageway meets the service road, both exit and entry is possible. This results in the "weaving" effect I was talking about. Wikimedia Commons has this pic to illustrate:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ng_traffic.gif

2. Even if the trucks/buses didn't make a hash of things, exiting the ORR requires (a) slowing down considerably on the ORR itself, (b) steering input to exit, and (c) steering input the other way to continue on service road. Here is an example location (near Sarjapur road junction):

https://www.google.co.in/maps/@12.92.../data=!3m1!1e3

Compare with this one (which I randomly picked from the UK):

https://www.google.co.in/maps/@52.74.../data=!3m1!1e3

[FURY_44]

If anyone has noticed who travel from Hebbal Junction towards BEL Circle, the brand new "Your Speed" display right opposite to Adyar Anand Bhavan hotel has broken down.

The signboard seems like it has been damaged by heavy rains which lashed Bangalore a couple of days ago, or maybe by local vandalism.