[binand]

Over the last week, I did the City-Airport stretch thrice. They have opened up most of the flyovers between Hebbal and KIAL (2 are still pending, but I guess will be completed soon enough), making this stretch a breeze. I could do the 23 km from Hebbal to KIAL in 30 minutes during daytime, while staying within the 80 kmph speed limit (though I did not see the interceptors anywhere on the flyovers; the cabbies have a free run).

The ORR too, is generally okay with new flyovers and underpasses. Problem area is now between Mahadevpura and Horemavu - bad road and Krishnarajapura. And only in the outbound direction, the signal underneath the Hebbal interchange. Overall, my commute time between home and airport is down by about 30 minutes.

[binand]

This sounds like something Bangalore can emulate:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/te...l-pay-fee.html

I will also recommend an additional fee per car put on the roads levied on the companies. If anything, it will mobilize some funds for alleviating the situation on the roads (or a foreign jaunt or two for the corporators :-).

[KarthikK]

The carmelaram - Gunjur stretch is back to peaceful days once again. Looks like the Sarjapur road bound traffic is allowed to continue straight along the bridge, so there is no heavy traffic on the Carmelaram stretch anymore.

Now, if only they fix those few potholes near Carmelaram hospital and Carmel school, the entire commute till Varthur will be a lot better. I'm not complaining anymore though, this still saves me a healthy 30-40 minutes over the ORR - Kundalahalli route.

[lazybrain]

Originally Posted by binand

I could do the 23 km from Hebbal to KIAL in 30 minutes during daytime, while staying within the 80 kmph speed limit (though I did not see the interceptors anywhere on the flyovers; the cabbies have a free run

I believe the toll gate at the exit from Hyderabad road towards KIAL road is now functional. Does 30 minutes time also include the time wasted in the toll gate??

[binand]

Originally Posted by lazybrain

I believe the toll gate at the exit from Hyderabad road towards KIAL road is now functional. Does 30 minutes time also include the time wasted in the toll gate??

I just got to office from KIAL. Again, 1 hour + time taken for the U-turn at Manipal hospital. All the flyovers are now open to traffic, so it is a breeze all the way till the signal at Esteem.

The toll you mention has 10 booths; I have never seen cars lining up more than 2 deep. I usually clear it in less than a minute. That toll booth is inconsequential (only temporally; it still costs Rs. 30 to go through).

[ashwin.terminat]

Found this online. Perfectly describes a lot of our emotions! :P

So, let’s look at five different types of idiots we have on our roads.
1 . The Annoying L-Boarders: Ok, these guys are not really idiots. I mean they are learning something new, kudos to them. But the stuff what they do on roads is at times extremely irritating for the seasoned guys. Driving at 20kmph on free roads, that sudden acceleration, the brake out of nowhere, horrendous parking skills. Phew, I can go on. The roads will be a better place without them. Do you practice runs at night my dear L-Board people.
2 . The “My vehicle is more expensive than yours, that makes the road mine” guy: These idiots are similar to the “I have a DSLR and I am a photographer” people. They somehow get one of those “Superbikes” or BMWs and Audis and literally run riot with it. They drive fast, They drive on whichever lane that please them. They usually don’t wear helmets or keep their car windows down. How else would people know they own an awesome vehicle. What they don’t understand is that No one gives a shit.
3 . The “I just got a new Audio System” guy: The one thing that I give to these idiots is that they drive safe. You seldom see them going at above 30 kmph, and never do they drive rash. Reason? They have one Awesome audio system. Windows down, Sunshades on, some song with heavy bass, driving as slow as possible, a girls college. That’s as orgasmic as it gets for them. Well yea, they do look like douchebags doing it, but that’s beside the point.
You can find few around your workplace too. Check out the types here.
4 . The “Why do vehicles have an indicator” guy: These are the most unpredictable guys on roads. One never knows when they start flailing their hand like a handicapped bird, and make that turn. It is extremely dangerous to follow them on roads. What makes them more dangerous is that they are like ninjas. They appear in front of you when least expected. When asked one of them about the use of indicators, this is what he had to say “Indicators are for sissies, I do it with my hands”. That’s not the only thing you will end up doing ONLY with your hands in your lifetime, is what I thought to myself. If you know what I mean.
5 . The incessant honker: There is one cycle in front of me, Let me Honk. There is a humongous traffic jam in front of me, Let me Honk. The Signal is red, Let me Honk. The signal is green, Well let me honk and let people know the signal is green. You never know, they might be colour blind. There is a No Horn signboard, Let me Honk. Oh wait, the lorry in front of me says “Horn OK Please”. Wohoooo.. Honkkkkkkkkkkk. Its 1 in the night and the roads are empty. I won’t honk. Just Kidding. Honkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. Scientific evidence suggests that the strongest part of the body for these idiots is the right thumb.

Source: http://articles.roflindia.com/2012/1...roads-edition/

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

1 . The Annoying L-Boarders: Ok, these guys are not really idiots. I mean they are learning something new, kudos to them. But the stuff what they do on roads is at times extremely irritating for the seasoned guys. Driving at 20kmph on free roads, that sudden acceleration, the brake out of nowhere, horrendous parking skills. Phew, I can go on. The roads will be a better place without them. Do you practice runs at night my dear L-Board people.
Source: http://articles.roflindia.com/2012/1...roads-edition/

Isn't there a rule that prohibits a Learning License Holder from driving after dark? I thought there was one!

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

Isn't there a rule that prohibits a Learning License Holder from driving after dark? I thought there was one!

That's the first time I'm hearing of such a thing.

I looked around and wasn't able to find any such thing!

[sansvk]

Republic Day Gift: The stretch between the parade ground towards Manipal centre on Cubbon Road was relaid completely a couple of days back. For years now it has been patched up over and over again making it a very bumpy ride.
Wishlist - Hope all roads in Bangalore would be relaid soon.

[vishnu.csk]

Originally Posted by satnjyoti

Drove my bicycle to the office today. Good fun as it's 7.5 km one way. Lesson learnt. Rants on traffic are directly proportional to the vehicles you drive. Breezed past the traffic. Only problem. Need to find a shower and change at office. Guess that can be arranged.

I agree. That's what i have been doing recently. I have been taking my scooty to office on week days. Easy to drive through the traffic. Usually it takes 45mins to an hour to office but now it takes just 20 mins and also feels relaxed. No more getting tensed while going in traffic.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean

+1, Having spent 20 years in Chennai from childhood & close to 10 years in Bangalore. I can safely say that at-least inside the city limits, Chennai has better governance framework in place, that is the reason why it is one of the metro cities in India.

Bangalore inside city limits.
1.) Traffic lights switched off (or) not working properly during peak hours
2.) Roads lack lane marking (e.g.) ORR
3.) Unscientific road planning (e.g.) service roads
4.) Lack of law enforcement - vehicles breaking signals, heavy vehicles inside city, driving on wrong side.
5.) Infrastructure development motivated by real estate lobby.
6.) Fear of being rear ended by a truck, run over by bus while crossing or walking on the road.
7.) Premature caving on newly laid roads

Every time I say this to my wife (brought up in Bangalore), she refuses to accept.

Absolutely agree. Madras has far better governance and always has had.
Bangalore grew too quickly for the number of people, vehicles and pressure that it handles today. The infra simply hasn't been able to catch up.

Of course, this has a lot to do with the type of people in government here and their self-serving natures. While TN politicos have the same venal attitude, at least they allow infra etc to develop as well along with their swelling bank accounts.

[Ohh!Oxygen]

Republic day gift for my neighbourhood.
In Lalu Yadav's words . Most of the roads in and around Koramangala 6th block now look like Hemamalini's cheeks.

[Soumyajit9]

Too late to rant. But nevertheless, I am so angered that I have to vent it out somewhere.

So everyone must be knowing about the Sunburn festival that was organised yesterday (25th Jan) at NeoTown in Electronic City. Read below, what happens when the city traffic cops are deep asleep.

I happened to be invited to a friend's place for a dinner in an apartment close to Wipro office. I was extremely happy to get a chance to drive on BETL on a weekend with less traffic and more importantly sane drivers with no hurry to reach anywhere.

I started around 8PM from BTM and took the ramp to BETL and was merrily cruising at around 70-80kmph. All was fine with some people ina hurry, doing may be 120kmph +.

The harrowing experience started while returning on BETL around 11:30PM. I was alongwith my wife and 7 month old kid.

Firstly there was this White Fluidic Verna with all sort of mods on it - HID, Black Tints, Loud Music and jam packed car with people inside it dancing so heavily that the whole car was shaking ! I could see these antics and warned my wife to sit tight. I let them pass onto my right. I was on the left lane.
Then came this 2nd Gen Zen with 9 people. 6 at rear and 3 in front !! All windows rolled down. Some 17 hands out of the window, everyone waving their hands like we do to show a brid flying !! Even the right hand of the driver was out and waving. Overtook me from the right at more than 100kmph atleast !! I was doing around 80. I got scared of getting rear-ended and thrown off the flyover. Hence I switched to the right lane, closer to the divider.
I must have driven for about 2 mins when I see massive flashing of lights !! I look up my IRVM and see a big vehicle and a sedan flashing and honking and closing in too fast to take a decision. I pray and stick to my lane. And then I feel sudden gust of wind around my car ! The two cars - Sedan (turned out to be Old Gen City) and SUV (XUV 5oo) overtook me from the left side almost parallely !! I have absolutely no clue what did they do, how they did, but the XUV 5oo was millimeters away from my car. I guess BETL is a 2 laned flyover and accomodates only 2 cars parallely. My wife was shell shocked and scared. These two cars kept on flashing and honking and bullied other cars and zoomed away.
I was literally trembling and prayed that the flyover ended soon. Within a minute I was down on the main road, took the left lane and drove towards Silk Board - BTM. But then, there are no dearth of maniacs. A white Skoda (maybe Rapid or Laura, no idea) overtook dangerously from the left and I was taking a left turn towards BTM main road.

Now comes the important questions -
1) Where were the traffic interceptors on BETL ? No drunken driving or overspeeding checks.
2) Where were the barricades at Silk Board junction ? No one seeing who is going where, at what speed.
3) Why was there no drunken driving checks, specially when Sunburn festival was organised and obviously people would have been super high ?

Add to all these things, the lighting on BETL is pathetic. Orange Halogens that were emitting black light probably The road was more darker and wasn't illuminated at all. The car lights weren't helping either. It was like the time of early morning or evening, when the combination of sun light and car light is crazy. Why can't they put up white halogens, like they have put up on HSR Flyover ?

Major lapse on traffic police checks. They would have woken up only when some accident would have happened. Feels pathetic to live and drive in this city (I am not sure how bad things are in other so-called-cosmopolitan cities.
I am just at loss of words. I wish I could stop all those idiots and throw then off the flyover along with their cars.

[nareshov]

@Soumyajit9
Wow. I was there yesterday and I happened to leave the parking through an alternate route before the bulk of them got out and I didn't take the elevated highway. Looks like I escaped/missed all this immature action.

[Safety is Param]

Had been to the new elevated road towards Bangalore Airport, yesterday.

The road is ok, could have been better laid out. The evenness is not uniform.

Cabs, as always, were being driven like crazy.

I stuck to the centre lane at 70 kmph, and was overtaken by several cabs from the right and left lanes. The amazing thing was; cabs overtaking from the left most lane were moving atleast at 110 kmph.

Some autos too were being driven such that one of the rear wheels was in the centre lane while the other rear wheel was in the left lane. I had to honk loud a couple of times to no avail.

The less I talk about the 2-wheelers on this stretch, the better. I sincerely hope the authorities bar 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers from plying on this stretch, as it is definitely going to lead to a major accident one day.

Reached McDonalds at the airport end in 15 mins from Esteem Mall.

Overall, the drive to airport is not going to get goosebumps any more.