[am1m]

Originally Posted by ShreyG

One thing I notice is how much is this tunnel construction getting coverage whereas progress and deadline adherence etc for the metro is quite less. Rather, metro is being defamed (albeit true) almost everyday owing to delays and infrastructure issues.

The State government (and this is irrespective of which political party is in power) will always boost road infra projects over the Metro because there is a LOT more money to be siphoned off there. The Metro has the Central Government and funders like the JICA (Japanese) who keep an eye on things, so opportunities are limited to small-scale scams. Unlike say, a flyover that really doesn't do anything to reduce traffic or white-topping already good roads (again, I stress, these are schemes any government will try).

Plus, most of us also clamor for more road infra so we can bring our new vehicles out to get stuck in traffic. So it makes sense for newspapers to publish what their target audience wants to read.

I really don't think there is a calculated attempt to 'defame' the Metro. There have been operational lapses, perennial deadline and cost overruns, fiascos like not enough coaches for lines that are ready (Yellow Line), and those are rightly being published in the press. And it doesn't really matter anyway, it is obvious that the Metro is the only viable alternative to Bangalore traffic. It is already seeing a great response. It will take it's own sweet time but will keep growing and more people will see it as a sane alternative to perpetually dug-up roads and permanent traffic jams.

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Friends from Bangaore. I've been facing the brunt of traffic on AET Jn for the pastd few days, and I can empathise with your rants.

If you are able to stick to 2 pm, please use the traditional Marathahalli - KR Puram - Hebbal and on to Bellari road should be just fine. If you are delayed, then you need to think of other routes. This is why I return from office (in ITPL main road) at 2 pm - you avoid the school bus traffic, Govt officers havent left for home, 2nd shift Corporate workers just reached office and morning shift guys have not yet left office. Ideal time.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by am1m

The State government (and this is irrespective of which political party is in power) will always boost road infra projects over the Metro because there is a LOT more money to be siphoned off there. The Metro has the Central Government and funders like the JICA (Japanese) who keep an eye on things, so opportunities are limited to small-scale scams.

Absolutely true. A few crores can easily be siphoned off just in the preparation of a detailed project report, which never sees the light of the day, or a cut-paste job if done.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

At 2pm, take the regular Marathahalli route. This the only time window where ORR will be fairly free flowing. Don't go anywhere near Varthur post 2pm. There are 20-30 schools in the area and 100s of school buses will hit Varthur road post 2pm.

Originally Posted by gtonsing

If you are able to stick to 2 pm, please use the traditional Marathahalli - KR Puram - Hebbal and on to Bellari road should be just fine. If you are delayed, then you need to think of other routes. This is why I return from office (in ITPL main road) at 2 pm - you avoid the school bus traffic, Govt officers havent left for home, 2nd shift Corporate workers just reached office and morning shift guys have not yet left office. Ideal time.

Many thanks to you both. I wasn't aware of the school density, as I have never so far gone via the Gunjur Varthur route.

[binand]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I wasn't aware of the school density, as I have never so far gone via the Gunjur Varthur route.

There are about a dozen schools in the short stretch between Dommasandra and Gunjur, each disgorging 150-200 buses in the 2.15 to 3.45 pm window. You can easily lose 60 minutes traversing this section.

There are some interior roads through Balagere / Gunjur Palya that will help you reach Varthur Kodi (accessed via the left turn after Carmelaram ROB / near Belenus hospital) but they are all risky.

[gtonsing]

*Not a rant* Today, I left home just before 10 am and made my way from Bagalur through ORR - KR Puram - ITPL main road for my office commute. Except for a slowdown due to metro construction around Ramamurthy Nagar, everything was smooth - I was pleasantly surprised to sail through KR Puram ~45 kmph. What a day. Lets see what happens on the return journey.

[varun_n]

Originally Posted by arun_sharon

When 99% of people stick to their lanes we see cab guys and auto guys zooming past bypassing the lanes.

This used to be my daily commute. Now, I'm using ORR through Harlur road on few days and this stretch through kasavanahalli road on some days. I was about to post this on reddit. Harlur one also has the same problem. Majority of the folks respect lane discipline. There would be one PERSON who starts cutting the lane and then others start following him/her. Sometimes I feel like posting my dash cam videos on twitter tagging HSR trafffic police handle.

[Schnellby]

Originally Posted by arun_sharon

When 99% of people stick to their lanes we see cab guys and auto guys zooming past bypassing the lanes. Every time they create havoc at the entrance/exit of the junction where we have police manning the intersection.

Add BMTC Buses to the list. This behavior is worst seen at Hebbal (specifically the route from the Airport to the City, going under the flyover). Cops do their best to handle two massive 4-lane roads that narrow down to just 2 lanes, closing into the junction. While most vehicles try to tag one behind the other to ensure smooth flow on the narrow road, BMTC buses (especially the electric ones) go all the way to the left (where the road leads left to KR Puram) and cut hard right and disrupt the traffic flow. It's annoying, as these buses need to cut using all the lanes available to squeeze into the narrow 2-lane road leading to the Hebbal bus stop, causing traffic to slow down to a standstill while they maneuver.

Speaking of electric buses, is it just me or has their driving become worse? They don't have to deal with a rumbling old diesel engine and a clutch pedal now. I have been observing the ones plying to Doddaballpur (285M) and how abrasive they are while driving.

[DetectiveMiles]

Originally Posted by Schnellby

Speaking of electric buses, is it just me or has their driving become worse? They don't have to deal with a rumbling old diesel engine and a clutch pedal now. I have been observing the ones plying to Doddaballpur (285M) and how abrasive they are while driving.

The electric buses are worse because, they have better pick-up at signals and also otherwise unlike old buses and drivers sometimes just go overs small dividers without care and try to drive faster. They drive more like scooters such as Activa. If you are inside one, you feel good, they are quick. If I'm driving alongside one, I just let go and keep calm

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by Schnellby

Speaking of electric buses, is it just me or has their driving become worse? They don't have to deal with a rumbling old diesel engine and a clutch pedal now. I have been observing the ones plying to Doddaballpur (285M) and how abrasive they are while driving.

Originally Posted by DetectiveMiles

The electric buses are worse because, they have better pick-up at signals and also otherwise unlike old buses and drivers sometimes just go overs small dividers without care and try to drive faster. They drive more like scooters such as Activa.

I guess this is because these buses are on 'gross cost contract' where the buses including driver is supplied by the company who has the contract. So these buses are not driven by BMTC drivers.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by binand

There are about a dozen schools in the short stretch between Dommasandra and Gunjur, each disgorging 150-200 buses in the 2.15 to 3.45 pm window. You can easily lose 60 minutes traversing this section.

There are some interior roads through Balagere / Gunjur Palya that will help you reach Varthur Kodi (accessed via the left turn after Carmelaram ROB / near Belenus hospital) but they are all risky.

Following your advice, I started from Doddakanelli at 13:20 on Friday and took the route via Marathahalli, KR Puram and Hebbal. It took me an hour and a half to reach Nandi Upachar, that is 56 kms away. This was merely 15 minutes longer than my omward drive on Sunday towards Bangalore.

Thanks once again to you and others for your timely advice.

[airguitar]

Yesterday, there was a massive traffic jam on the Kadubisanahalli-Panathur road, it's definitely gotten worse with upto 1 hour wait time ( where the vehicle moves less than 500m ) these days, both ways.

I reached around 6.05pm in front of the "Sharaabi" liquor store and the vehicle didn't move much for 1 hour. Even as the cars waited on the narrow road, three hairbrained drivers driving their respective cars jumped a few hundred cars in the line, came in the lane belonging to oncoming traffic and tried to merge in front of me from the right. I was in my thar, and steadfastly stuck to my position and not giving them any undeserved space. Soon the inevitable happened : vehicles started coming in from the opposite direction. These 3 rockstars were causing massive traffic jam even as the oncoming cars squeezed between these cars and a ditch.

Every single oncoming passenger : cyclist, mopedist, biker, autowallah, minitruck driver, car drivers, bulldozers, heck even a pedestrian gave them the choicest of abuses. It was superb entertainment for about 30 minutes watching these guys get walloped verbally in a wide range of vocabulary. Hopefully they have learnt their lesson. I'm sure that they shat bricks when a bulldozer lifted it's moving arm over them to pass through. That was epic!

I even gave thumbs-up to a couple of people that took these errant drivers to task. Sadistic, but that's the least I expect as a steadfast follower of traffic rules. Some entertainment was my reward that day. I yearn to see every single errant fellow taken to task like this.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by airguitar

three hairbrained drivers driving their respective cars jumped a few hundred cars in the line, came in the lane belonging to oncoming traffic and tried to merge in front of me from the right. I but that's the least I expect as a steadfast follower of traffic rules. Some entertainment was my reward that day. I yearn to see every single errant fellow taken to task like this.

Do please enlighten us onlookers as to the ‘profile’ of these ‘errant’ chaps. Were they of the ‘educated-executive-in-a hurry-because-their-time-is-supremely-valuable’ type?

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Do please enlighten us onlookers as to the ‘profile’ of these ‘errant’ chaps. Were they of the ‘educated-executive-in-a hurry-because-their-time-is-supremely-valuable’ type?

One was a cabbie ( looked like a decent fellow caught in a storm by mistake ), another seemed a local duo ( not the IT types ) and the last one I couldn't see much.

I keep telling myself not to trust Google maps on congestions. It showed a nice 36 minutes for 12kms and I took the bait. I failed to remember ( as many other times in the past ) that I have been a victim of this 'feature' on the same route multiple times before. Essentially, you join the yuuuge traffic jam as it says 35 minutes. And even after you wait an hour, that 35 mins will not change/reestimated because it's perhaps all based on "moving vehicles" data. So it's still right that once get moving 35 minutes is all that you need. But you need to move and yesterday, I moved an inch only after 65-70 mins.

Now there are various ingresses into that Kadubisanahalli-Panathur road. In addition to simplex transport on that route, the ingresses are also multiplexed. A ingress gets to move to join the jam for 5 mins in Eastward direction. Then B ingress gets to join the jam for 5 minutes in the same direction. This repeats until no ingress can join as the main traffic is being allowed westward now. One has to wait 15-20 mins for traffic to resume Eastwards. At this point A ingress can join the jam as some space is created.

The ingresses/feeders are many:
Westward traffic ingresses:
Varthur
Balagere
Kundalahalli side via Vibgyor school meeting this road (+Thubarahalli )
Panathur main road
Silver oaks main road
Panathur Dinne road
Bhoganahalli road
Doddakannelli road

Eastward Traffic Ingresses
Kariyammana agrahara road
ORR at Kadubeesanahalli
First main road Kadubeesanahalli
Second main road Kbhalli
Bellandur road junction (rly station )
And then the back road from Bhoganahalli that directly hits the underpass merging at the pinnacle

And then many of the eastward ingresses act as opposite and vice versa. So it all looks like a bowl of noodles in the end. I'm counting on the Gunjur - New Horizon road to be open fully : will help ease a bit.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by am1m

The government should really empower the cops to go after the auto guys, cab guys, all of us, everyone/anyone, irrespective of who they are, when traffic rules are broken, and we'll see things change in a year or two. A generation should grow up with a real fear of getting caught whenever someone breaks a traffic rule. It is the only way we will have a hope of managing the present and future traffic in the city.

Utopia. At least as far as Bangalore goes. KA cops have generally been pretty disinterested in rules enforcement. I observe over the last 20 years that they tend to target small goods vehicles and out of station registered vehicles if at all. (Soft Targets.).

All these wicked taxi chaps and auto chaps are let off scot free and the worst is that most of them dont even care about the cops. (Assuming in the first place that the cops deign to look up from the mobile phones whose screens they are perpetually glued to.)

TN cops on the other hand (at least up until the 2000’s) especially in Madras and all, were pretty ruthless. Ive seen them whack errant bikers who broke the line or traffic light.

As you say, we need a visceral cleanup. A whole generation needs to grow up respecting and to some extent fearing the process of punitive measures meted out for these violations.