[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by ashis89

What surprises me is that I went to the airport last night/today morning around 3am. The roads were dry in many stretches and no water-logging even at the usual spots. I got some rains Yelahanka onwards till Devanahalli and again on the return leg too. But airport was mostly dry and so was the city. Seems Bangalore roads/drains are not (yet!) good enough to hold water beyond couple of hours.

I was flying that day, so I can tell you what really happened. There were two/three massive CB (cumulonimbus) clouds stationed right over Yelhanka airforce station and further south towards Yelhanka town and the city. The Bangalore international airport runway was just clear of this patch. Hence the roads from the airport till halfway to Yelhanka were dry but there was pouring rain from Yelhanka till further south. Since the CB were so massive, the rainfall associated with it was heavy.

[vredesbyrd]

I am so glad that I don't live in Bangalore anymore. Driving there is a complete nightmare.
It is not that I am scared (of two wheelers and cabs hitting my car).
It is that I fear losing my mind in the traffic.

Yeah, Uttar Pradesh is a complete mess but at least the traffic keeps moving.
Something felt really off about the city for the 14 months I spent there.
The less said about BESCOM and the heat, the better.
I don't want to go back there ever again.

I hope I haven't offended anyone but it's just my opinion.

[Rakeshmbalaji]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

I.
I don't want to go back there ever again.

I hope I haven't offended anyone but it's just my opinion.

That’s actually a good feeling to have

On a lighter note, the situation in Bangalore today is primarily because of that enigmatic charm despite all its shortcomings, where 99% of the people that came in here, never wanted to go back or to other places. The same situation goes with most of the bustling business centres globally and hence you may not find the traffic freely flowing in these kind of cities.

To each his own

[tilt]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

*SNIP*

Seshadripuram to Yelahanka (Doddaballapura Road) took 75 minutes:

• Started back from Sesdahripuram post dinner at 2144
• Encountered first Jam at Yelahanka exit at 2010
• Reached home at 2300

*SNIP*

Wow, you sure are a fast driver

Cheers

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by Rakeshmbalaji

That’s actually a good feeling to have

On a lighter note, the situation in Bangalore today is primarily because of that enigmatic charm despite all its shortcomings, where 99% of the people that came in here, never wanted to go back or to other places. The same situation goes with most of the bustling business centres globally and hence you may not find the traffic freely flowing in these kind of cities.

To each his own

Excellent climate, good food (esp filter coffee, dosa, etc. Yummy!), peaceful/good people, low crime, good healthcare, good schools and good employment opportunities. These are the good things in Bangalore. Basically everything that is not in the city/state government's hands.

EDIT: Add BMTC and KSRTC to that list. They are also excellent, the best in the country (despite being government entities)

Rest all is hopelessly bad, especially governance, whether by BBMP, BESCOM, BDA, BWSSB, KSPCB, whatever. All riddled with corruption and that reflects in the pathetic state of our roads, streetlighting, water supply, power supply, and traffic sense.

I think I've covered it all.

Depending on what one values, one will decide to stay on or move out.

[rrk]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Speed limit is what is posted on the round boards hidden behind the bushes. As posted by srvm, it is indeed 40 kmh in most sections, especially the open sections after bottlenecks. This is designed to catch offenders off guard.

ORR Banashankari has some stretches which are 60kmph as well. Only the KIAL road has 80kmph. Otherwise the max is 40 kmph or less in most of the places.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Also I was stopped today at Hebbal for IND high security number plate for my 13 year old car. And let off with a warning. How does one go about procuring it? I understand RTOs are not yet issuing for older cars. If I can apply for one then I can show the receipt as proof.

Don't really want to buy another board with fake IND stickers just to dump it when official ones are available. Imagine the waste and damage to the environment.

I was is similar situation few months ago when I drove to AP. The cop insisted that I have IND plates (actually he is referring to HSPR) as it is mandatory and I had to explain him that it is not rolled out in Bangalore. After 10 minutes of talking/convincing he let me go. I checked with our RTO and they have not clue on when it will be rolled out.

Looks like the situation is the same and I dont think the HSRP is rolled out for old vehicles yet in Bangalore based on the post below.

Refer https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5163518 (High security number plate in Karnataka?)

We should not be using those IND number plates made by local shop. Most of them are illegal. It is just money making business. Until HSRP is rolled out old vehicles should follow the existing rule to avoid being cop magnet. Refer below link:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5196292 (High security number plate in Karnataka?)

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Excellent climate, good food (esp filter coffee, dosa, etc. Yummy!), peaceful/good people, low crime, good healthcare, good schools and good employment opportunities. These are the good things in Bangalore.

I would agree with you having lived in Bangalore for 5 years between 2015 to 2020. The less said about urban governance in Bangalore, the better. Forget about the quality of roads or utility services (thankfully I lived in a place that had Cauvery water supply so never had to face the tanker mafia, but power cuts were a different matter), even the pavements are death traps with slabs broken or missing in many places.

Having said that, if you can make peace with the deficiencies, there are many things to like about the city, including the things you have mentioned. Also, Bangalore is less expensive than many of the other metros, especially Mumbai and Delhi.

I also lived in Delhi for 6 years in the early noughties and i still remember the struggle with power cuts and water supply in those days. Delhiites are still struggling with pollution at an industrial scale now although everything else has improved dramatically since the noughties.

Fact remains that no Indian city is perfect - we do live in a third world country after all. So decide on the things that matter to you and live in the city that ticks the most boxes, if you can.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Excellent climate...

Depending on what one values, one will decide to stay on or move out.

I have often felt that the government feels that no matter what they do people will come to Bangalore and stay on because of the climate. There are enough people who will ignore everything else be enticed by this one advantage. Also, people get accustomed /acclimatized to the Bangalore climate and short trips to other places turn out to be uncomfortable, reinforcing their impression that Bangalore has a pleasant climate.

I am not sure of other advantages, I've found those to be subjective.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by mvadg

I have often felt that the government feels that no matter what they do people will come to Bangalore and stay on because of...

They're not wrong (by that I don't mean they are correct to abdicate their basic governing/civic duties based on that assumption!) and I don't think it's just the weather.

While it's but natural to complain about overcrowding on a rants thread and while it's easy for people like me who have spent all my life in Bangalore to fantasize about how great Bangalore was in the "old days" (spoiler alert: it wasn't that great- we had garbage problems, electricity issues, a very limited economy and the streets were actually more littered than they are now because the city didn't have money to pay sanitation workers!), the fact remains that a LOT of people find it better to move in to Bangalore (and most cities anywhere in the world) than out of them. And that's a trend that is unlikely to reverse anytime soon. There are lots of reasons which I think are beyond the scope of a traffic-related thread.

But the hope that some sort of depopulating/de-congesting cities is going to happen anytime soon is a faint one. (And on the rare occasions that does happen, like say because of natural disasters like New Orleans or industry losses like Detroit- the accompanying problems are often worse than the original ones!)

Again, keeping to the scope of this traffic-related thread - better to hope for the planned lines of the Bangalore Metro to be completed as soon as possible, with new lines also getting commissioned. And try and organize our lives around that. Get a job near a metro station, look for entertainment, schools, and other businesses close to metro stations. Again, the Metro won't make Bangalore traffic any better. But it will give those of us who choose to use it a saner alternative to get around. (Having seen nothing change even with solving basic water logging issues in Bangalore for over 4 decades, that's pretty much all I'm hoping for for!)

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by mvadg

----Also, people get accustomed /acclimatized to the Bangalore climate and short trips to other places turn out to be uncomfortable, reinforcing their impression that Bangalore has a pleasant climate.

I am not sure of other advantages, I've found those to be subjective.

I have lived in Bangalore for about 20 years now. One of the most important thing I like about living here is the friendliness of the people and how much less racist they are (I studied in Delhi and am very aware of the racial issues especially for someone like myself being from the NE). I faced ZERO discrimination due to my looks or language or class/caste/race.
Second reason I like Bangalore is the climate (although recently it seems to be getting hotter and colder).
Roads are horrible and that's true for the decades I have lived here. Water is also a problem almost everywhere. Something in the Bangalore is making me allergic which leaves me sneezing all year around (You should have seen the faces of other people after Lock Down 1 when I sneezed in public)
I feel the positives far outweigh the negatives. This city is one city that I can call Namma Bengaluru in true sense of the word!!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by am1m

... hope for the planned lines of the Bangalore Metro to be completed as soon as possible, with new lines also getting commissioned. And try and organize our lives around that...

They're going to take their own sweet time, so the second bit is important.

We live within walking distance of our nearest metro station (close enough that one of us standing on our balcony can wave to the other on the platform if we squint a bit), and we intend to stay put in this general area as long as we can manage.

Living room to MG Road in under 30 mins total, absolute bliss compared to driving there.

When the Byappanahalli-Whitefield stretch is live, I'll have a metro station 5-10 mins from my workplace too, direct line with no interchange necessary, on the days I need to go in.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Living room to MG Road in under 30 mins total, absolute bliss compared to driving there.

You are so right about visiting the MG Road area these days! After college days and the first few years working, I'd pretty much stopped going to Cubbon Park and the MG Road area on weekends because of the awful traffic and parking hassles (I still had to go on weekdays because I used to work in that pincode.) But since the metro reached MG road in 2011 and the Purple Line extended to Cubbon Park and beyond later, it's been a pleasure to go there and rediscover that area on weekends. Even though I live about 3 km from the nearest Metro station- I park my bike at that station and go. I also think the general Brigade Road/Church Street area has become a bit more upmarket over the past few years. Remember it becoming really seedy around the 2003-2010 period. I think good public transport can transform neighborhoods/public spaces and businesses, and not just the commute to work.

[GeeTee TSI]

I had a tough ride from Naagarbhavi till beyond Hebbal on the fateful evening of 21st. In hindsight it was a leap of faith to have started back amidst such heavy downpour

The Outer Ring Road was motorable, by keeping the car ahead as a pilot (what with some monstrous potholes!), however I did the mistake of taking the direct route which includes an underpass. Needless to say, the right most lane was just about passable with water levels staying within the wheel hub. Further, I encountered the practical difficulty of how to keep revs high during crawl in a waterlogged stretch, in an automatic GT TSI. There is also no way to turn back halfway down

While I made it home safe, the stalled vehicles which I passed were a grim reminder of my bad call that day, notwithstanding my lucky stars which saw me through

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by am1m

...I also think the general Brigade Road/Church Street area has become a bit more upmarket over the past few years. Remember it becoming really seedy around the 2003-2010 period. I think good public transport can transform neighborhoods/public spaces and businesses.

The pedestrian-friendly revamp a few years ago has transformed the place. They now have pedestrian-only days sometimes along Church Street, with street performances and amateur artists displaying/selling stuff on the walkways. Get down at MG Road, browse at Blossoms, plenty of options to shop and grab a bite within a 1km walking radius, then hop on a metro back.

It's one of our favorite leisure days now, if we can't think of (or don't feel like making the effort for) anything else. Reading comics at Blossoms alone is worth it, and significant other gets to bring back takeaway from Oh Calcutta! too.

P.S. The Sobha(?) building at the Empire end of Church Street (where it intersects Museum Road) has great basement parking, if one gets there early enough.

[adisan]

the Metro ... will give those of us who choose to use it a saner alternative to get around.

The cleanliness of the metro stations and coaches is a plus.