[raghav.carfreak]

^^ and ruin the beauty of a vehicle we painstakingly maintain/love almost as much as a family member(if not more)?
Not worth it buddy, not at all worth the pain/effort/heartache it can cause!

[amitoj]

Get this. Today morning on Bannerghatta Road, near Shoppers Stop, i see a green Fiat Siena yellow board, crawling slowly. You know why? Because the driver had cellphone in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other!!

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Me: Exactly what I knew you are worth. That's what you are. A pathetic person.
Mr Moron: As if he has spit on his own face. Does not know what to say and continues riding.

Imagine a low life like this who has no proper upbringing by his parents that he can make vulgar gestures when there are ladies and children around.

Mr H 9385 - Bullet Std 350. If you are reading this you are a waste of humanity.

Isn't it strange when the protagonists act as if you're wrong?
But I beg to differ, the parents of some of the guys I play football with are my parent's friends, as well as colleagues, and are pretty decent people. They have nothing to do with the language their sons use.

@amitoj: Green Siena taxi?? Which agency?? I've always wanted to travel in a Siena.


@MudMover: Great going!!!

I find Bangalore (&Anantapur's) traffic a source of entertainment. It's a satirical comedy seeing educated people driving/riding the way they shouldn't.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

just wishful thinking

I try and keep my mouth shut. I thought Bullet riders had some class, apparently not.

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

They have nothing to do with the language their sons use.

Then maybe they get influenced by the kids they play football with that are to take the blame.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Then maybe they get influenced by the kids they play football with that are to take the blame.

Exactly. It is the company that generally influences people. However, provided one has common sense, you remain untouched, like a lotus in a swamp.
The same logic applies to traffic "sense" and "responsibility". Just because everyone around doesn't drive "sensibly" and "responsibly", doesn't mean you shouldn't. It is a shame that most of the people on the roads either are ignorant/un-informed (tubelights), or lack common sense.

(OT: One 8 year old who plays with us sometimes says/knows stuff I didn't know until I was 15. )

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

I thought Bullet riders had some class

that was true until some time back. now riding a RE has become fashionable. in our CVR office you can find many such wannabes who don't know a thing about riding, but ride REs. its a shame. reminds me of Wild Hogs

last evening when my wife, sister-in-law and myself were heading for the Kingfisher exhibition in Palace Grounds, we ran into a moron at the Mother Teresa circle near Ulsoor lake. we were coming from Assaye road and taking a turn at the roundabout when all of a sudden i see a IndiCab coming straight at us. at first my reaction was to swerve, but then decided i'm no more going to adjust madi!

i stopped the car right in front of the IndiCab. it was a young guy, maybe in his very early 20s. he asks me to move, but i tell him to go the right way, around the roundabout. he tried to talk me into moving out of his way, but i would have none of it!

then he tries to go around me, but every time i block his move with our car. finally he gave up, reversed and went the right way. the funny thing was that the passenger, a very modern woman (could make out from her dressing sense), was the one giving him directions to drive (even asking to go around us). i guess he was just trying to impressed her!

Originally Posted by Arkin evoisrevo

It is a shame that most of the people on the roads either are ignorant/un-informed (tubelights), or lack common sense.

i don't think its the lack of common sense that is the problem. it is the thought that they can get away with any wrong they do.

Metallica - Sad But True!

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

I try and keep my mouth shut. I thought Bullet riders had some class, apparently not.

No brother.Those days are gone!
Every day, I see a guy, painstakingly clean his Machismo350, wait for his wife to show up for 5 mins. When his wife finally arrives, he swings his leg over the bike, presses the button, cranks the engine and putters off!

I might be a bit of old school but i come from that class that teaches you to kick start a bullet and then heat it for at least 5-10 mins before moving an inch! And I do the same for all my bikes.

That was the OT.
In general, I get to meet quite a few Educated Morons every day. They would cut across lanes, dont care what the indicators are for! I guess I am pure stupid to use indicators for lane changing because I hardly see anyone do it. Guess I am stupid enough to care about the bike/car behind me or selfish enuf to care about my car's rear end :P
And more often than ever, these morons finally get stuck in traffic when I move past them.

A simple case:
Ibbalur ORR Jn, Road coming out of Sun City:
It has 2 lanes on each side. Common sense says, Left lane for those turning left towards Marathalli and right lane for those turning towards HSR. And I know for sure that all the morons driving on this part of the road are highly QUALIFIED. Everyday, someone will surely cut in from the left lane to overtake guys at the junction! The less I speak about people honking at a signal the better. I seriously feel the need to fit a horn behind my car saying something like "shut the **** up!".

Rant against educated moron ends.

[G-BoleroBoy]

Last week i was driving on hosur road from electronics city and wanted to turn right towards HSR at silkboard junction. Waiting for signal, i see a private bus come and stop perpendicular to me (under the bridge) and i was sure he wants to cut me and complete his U turn. I prepared myself to inch forward as much so that i can block him and take off.
What happens next shocked me - the cleaner/conductor of the bus got down, came and blocked me and other cars on road, signalled bus driver to drive through.
I possibly could have run over the bus itself, but not a human - whatever he is..
So frustrated that I just couldn't do anything at all..

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by aqualeo2040

Every day, I see a guy, painstakingly clean his Machismo350, wait for his wife to show up for 5 mins. When his wife finally arrives, he swings his leg over the bike, presses the button, cranks the engine and putters off!

I might be a bit of old school but i come from that class that teaches you to kick start a bullet and then heat it for at least 5-10 mins before moving an inch! And I do the same for all my bikes.

aww.. don't be like that. maybe he does have an impediment not allowing him to kick start the bike.

i had an incident long back (6yrs). CBZ has a tight kick starter and boy does it recoil - not as much as RE or Yezdi, but it does. one rainy night after dinner at Oasis on Church street, i was trying to kick start my bike and on one of those kicks my feet slipped (the kicker was wet due to rain) and caused a gash on the inner side of my right leg, few inches above the ankle. it was so bad i could see the bone!

since there wasn't anyone else around to help, i put the bike on stand and kick started the bike with my left leg (Yezdi style) and rode home. after i got well and could move around without limping, the first thing i did was fit a electric starter for the bike (Y2K CBZ doesn't come with a self starter; CBZ Star which was released years later had it). cost me almost 21k - had to change the crankcase, put a new battery, change the electricals/wiring, handlebar controls etc., but it was worth it.

since then, i've not had to use the kicker until two months back when the battery was completely dead. it is also helpful in traffic signals when i switch off the engine to save fuel

Originally Posted by aqualeo2040

I seriously feel the need to fit a horn behind my car saying something like "shut the **** up!".

let me know when you get one of those. i need one for my car

[Milestone]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Saturday Evening - 2000 hours. Sarajapur Road, around the Bellandur flyover construction area.

....
Mr H 9385 - Bullet Std 350. If you are reading this you are a waste of humanity.

^^ Every time I take this stretch it happens with me also, morons waiting to overtake from left even thought there will be enough space on right. I'm more than happy to give way from right, but when someone tries to squeeze from left it gets into my nerves. Never experienced something like what you encountered..

Cheers !!!

[Shubz]

We as BHPians make all possible efforts to bide by the road rules for our own safety and for others safety and yet we have to encounter individuals who believe in " #1 - I am always right. 2# If I am wrong, please refer rule #1"

As Spitfire rightly said - There are many human beings for whom its just their Pride, even if they know for sure they are wrong. Clearly shows the lack of proper upbringing!

My two cents while driving to work this evening. An enlightened biker - surely looked the uneducated types - on the NGEF road - parallel to the railway track - riding on the road dividing lines at around 30 kms/hour - head covered with a towel - to save his hair style - and a junk of a helmet over it. I honk for him to move aside - no response. A longer honk - he gestures me to overtake him from the left. I don't budge, I honk again - he never moves. I jam the horn button (Hella Red grilles) and then he moves aside and gives me a glare like I am the filth of this planet - I ask him what?? (gesture) - he is mumbling something - Guess what - He has a phone stuck under the helmet and is immersed in some conversation! May be checking with his counterparts where to dispose off the stolen cement or steel

[Capitalson]

Hi All, i agree with everybody that Bangalore traffic is frustrating, makes you go crazy, makes tempers flare and what not!!! But i request you all not to lose your cool. Whatever the situation, it will go away in about a minute. But if we choose to let the wrong-doers know how we feel we might be in a tight spot, especially if we are with our family.

Well, it happened to me in front of Nilgiris department store in JP Nagar--Phase 7, in front of Brigade Millennium. My wife went inside Nilgiris to purchase some vegetables and i was sitting in my car. I was parked rightly, legally, without obstructing any other vehicle. In fact, there was plenty of space around me. Suddenly, a red, Maruti Zen came right behind me and stopped and the driver got out of the car and went to the nearby Punjabi Food outlet and started talking to somebody there. My wife came back after making the purchase and i started my car hoping that the Zen driver will hear it and move his car away so that i could back-off my car and go my way.

But he didn't do so and when i honked my horn to draw his attention, he just stared at me and went on talking to the other guy. I got out of my car and asked him to move his car. And he had the audacity to ask me to move my car further ahead and back up and then make a right turn again back up and make another right turn and proceed.

I really lost my temper and and forcefully told him not to be a nuisance but in the mean time my wife too got out of the car and started picking up a fight with that guy. It was when things started to turn nasty. There were 2 other guys sitting in the Zen and they came out and started hurling nasty words and abuses at us. Well, as it usually happens in a strange place speaking a different language, we had to beat a hasty retreat. That really got into my mind and i could not sleep that night. Mind you, i am not timid and cowardly. If i were alone in that situation or with one or two male friends, things would have been definitely different. I have clocked more than 200,000 kms in my 12 years of driving experience. I have driven from Gurgaon to Madurai in 38 hours, have met a lot of people under different circumstances. But we all face certain limitations.

So, the moral of the incident is, do not make things worse than they are already. Just ignore the stupid people. Well, i am sure that i am not being defeatist but more of a realist. What say, people?

Today, when i recall that incident it doesn't make me seethe in anger as on the day it happened. Right? Some things you can change and some you can't.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by Capitalson

Today, when i recall that incident it doesn't make me seethe in anger as on the day it happened. Right? Some things you can change and some you can't.

Welcome to Bangalore.

Last evening at the Domlur signal. I was on the bike riding towards Marathahalli. At this signal there is a bus stop. A Volvo was parked there and once the signal went green he flicks his right indicator and immediately turns right. Quite an usual sight and I don't care these days.

I gel with the spineless public around me and brake and let it go.

But one women in a white i20 does not. She is not taking any of the nonsense. Actually she took the burnt of the demented driver the most as she was right next to the bus. She follows the bus, overtakes it and right before the ramp to go towards IRR stops the bus. Gets off and gives a piece of her mind to the driver.

I am right behind but don't prefer to stop as the traffic could have got blocked.

I go further down to watch what happens and whether it gets escalated. I am on the side of the flyover ramp. Knowing this city I was sure no one could have stepped forward to help the lady and the driver could have surely got physical with the lady if he seemed fit. I am hoping this doesn't mess up.

They argue for a while and I can see the driver's animated gestures asking the lady to get lost. Considering her dignity and the gutless people around she gets back in the car and drives off. As the bus passes me I see the driver having a gloated laugh about the incident.

To the i20 lady, hats off to you. It needs some strong will to take on a Volvo driver all alone in Bangalore.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Welcome to Bangalore.

Last evening at the Domlur signal. I was on the bike riding towards Marathahalli. At this signal there is a bus stop. A Volvo was parked there and once the signal went green he flicks his right indicator and immediately turns right. Quite an usual sight and I don't care these days.

I gel with the spineless public around me and brake and let it go.

But one women in a white i20 does not. She is not taking any of the nonsense. Actually she took the burnt of the demented driver the most as she was right next to the bus. She follows the bus, overtakes it and right before the ramp to go towards IRR stops the bus. Gets off and gives a piece of her mind to the driver.

I am right behind but don't prefer to stop as the traffic could have got blocked.

I go further down to watch what happens and whether it gets escalated. I am on the side of the flyover ramp. Knowing this city I was sure no one could have stepped forward to help the lady and the driver could have surely got physical with the lady if he seemed fit. I am hoping this doesn't mess up.

They argue for a while and I can see the driver's animated gestures asking the lady to get lost. Considering her dignity and the gutless people around she gets back in the car and drives off. As the bus passes me I see the driver having a gloated laugh about the incident.

To the i20 lady, hats off to you. It needs some strong will to take on a Volvo driver all alone in Bangalore.

This reminds me an incident that I had narrated on the same thread where I had stopped a Volvo Bus at the Krupanidhi college Signal (near St John's Hospital).

Same week, in front of Nandini (After the BDA complex signal in Koramangala) towards Sony World, A Volvo cuts across me and stops ahead of another bus (much beyond the bus stop). I am squeezed between these 2 buses and when I got a chance, I overtook the bus, stopped in front of him and gave him a piece of mind and in the end I gained nothing and neither did the Volvo driver who lost almost 10 mins by involving in the circus of that sort.

Usually, the conductors get down first to argue and then the driver simply abuses you asking if I knew where the bus stop was and I was not supposed to drive where the Bus stop is . I counter argue that wasn't he as a regular driver suppose to know that he intends to stop either to drop a passenger or pick one and hence start driving in the left lane and stop rather than cut cars and bike and stop diagonally blocking both the lanes?

And then, I look like a fool expecting an answer from a driver of a hitech bus who's trained at the facility on how to drive.

I doubt all those drivers who have been awarded for an accident free record for not getting involved in any of the accidents on the city's roads. I believe, even if they dont get involved in collisions, they cause many. We've seen numerous vidoes floating on Youtube on the way buses violate traffic.

All this when I could speak the local language flawlessly!!

And yes, Hats off the that i20 lady for the courage she exhibited and confronted the monsters.

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

They argue for a while and I can see the driver's animated gestures asking the lady to get lost. Considering her dignity and the gutless people around she gets back in the car and drives off.

I hope she's a TBHPian. But she could have persisted. What is pepper spray for?? And how come you didn't join her? In such a situation, I'd expect someone like Parag, IronH4wk, you or me, to help out.


@Capt. : You should stand up for your rights. Don't let such barbarians bog you down. If it get's somewhere close to physical, pepper spray will do the job.

I plan on getting a bottle of pepper spray too as soon as I'm back in Bangalore, though I might not need it, thanks to my dad & driver.

Pepper spray might sound a bit feminine, but what is manly about 4 rowdies vs. a couple, or an unruly bus driver vs. a lone woman, or a group of rickshaw drivers against a 15 year old?