[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by silversteed

And the expansion joints on most of the flyovers have started becoming like the ones on the Silk Board flyover - bone-jarring if you go over them at anything above 30kmph or so

You are spot on with your observations. While going towards silk board on the ORR, when you climb the first flyover (near bellandur) there is a height difference on the ramp . This results in a nasty bump especially when you are driving fast or when you are seated behind the rear wheels in a bus.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

An Auto Driver parks his auto bang in the middle of the road in Malleswaram.
Only in Nama Bengaluru do Auto drivers have this kind of power.

Please post the above pic at BTP page in FB, hope you've noted the Reg no as well...

[deadguy25]

Off-late, lot of people jump signals. They look around, if there is no cop or or not much movement on one side, they drive\ride away.

This has become very common. Initially I thought only cab guys do it, but was amazed at the number of IT guys jumping signals.

How are we going to stop them?

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

. This results in a nasty bump especially when you are driving fast or when you are seated behind the rear wheels in a bus.

The volvo's drive over these joints at high speeds. It is pretty risky for cars to slow down, the vehicles tailgating may not be expecting it.

The silkboard flyover is pretty bad and there is no other choice here but to slow down completely. The madiwala underpass is like a kids ride in a amusement park, bumpy

Originally Posted by silversteed

And the expansion joints on most of the flyovers have started becoming like the ones on the Silk Board flyover - bone-jarring if you go over them at anything above 30kmph or so

Whatever speeds I maintain, It sends vibration into my car cabin

[NPV]

**Very long post, sorry, pouring the rants out!

Firstly, Hats off to all you folks who endure drives to Whitefield every day
After 11 years, work takes me to Whitefield again and there's no comparison to what it was - utterly chaotic traffic, can't be worse

Circa 2003 - I had the privilege of boarding a cab to office, mine being the last pickup at 8.40am near my home and still reached office in Whitefield at 9am! Similarly, first drop in the evenings, slightly longer drive leaving office at 5.45pm and reaching home by 6:15pm. But such things don't last a lifetime, it was just for 6 months.

Now, after driving to work and back the past 5 weeks, I've realised it's just luck that can ensure a peaceful if not a quick drive to work. Yes, maybe I can time it better but I can't leave before 7.45am which is the only constraint.

Started experimenting with 8:30, then 8:15, 8:00 and now 7.45, can't leave earlier than that. Even then, if all goes well, the quickest I can reach is in about 35 minutes (distance about 13km).

There are several bottlenecks, first one being near Tin Factory junction where the Outer Ring Road merges with Old Madras Road and the ramp to hanging bridge begins. This place has a perpetual traffic jam almost any time of day. Mainly due to the inherent design of this junction, buses stopping to pick up commuters, merging of lanes (there is no such concept on our roads and the word 'Yield' doesn't exist in our dictionary), and of course morons!

Almost all the traffic at this junction wants to go beside the hanging bridge so traffic almost always crawls all the way to the K R Puram junction. From there some traffic takes the ramp to ORR and rest proceed towards Mahadevapura. Now, this road is pathetic in some places and has several junctions so it is again a slow moving zone till the Bhoruka signal. From there on, it eases a bit before all hell breaks loose at the Hoodi junction.

So, after some experimentation, I now stick to this route - take hanging bridge to K R Puram, then Devasandra, Hoodi (thankfully has a Railway overbridge that opened 2 months ago) and reach office near ITPL. Not that this route does not have bottlenecks but with the time I choose it's a lot better than the one through Mahadevapura.
*Easier for me to get to Old Madras Road so overall seems natural to take this, I shudder to even think how the Kaggasasapura-Old Airport Road-Marathahalli-Kundalahalli-EPIP route would be.

Some experiences from the drives - a Ready Mix Concrete truck breaking down on the railway overbridge completely blocking traffic in one direction, old vehicles like tractors and trailers that are definitely not road worthy crawling in the middle of the road holding all traffic behind them to ransom, buses breaking down on the hanging bridge especially near the entry point, huge buses making U-turns at junctions blocking traffic in all directions, 2 wheelers on all sides, pedestrians everywhere, push-cart vendors, autorickshaws, cyclists, etc all wanting their share of the pie (aka road).

Concluding with this thought - like the elevated highway has made commute to Electronics City much more saner, is there a way out for Whitefield also via Old Madras Road ?
Alternatively, the metro if extended from Baiyappanahalli may be a great solution but I dread even the thought of work commencing for this via Mahadevapura, one just won't be able to drive on that road till the work is completed.

**EDIT:Forgot to mention Plan B that I took once - K R Puram, all the way after Budigere Cross, then turn right towards Sai Baba Ashram, Hope Farm and ITPL - it makes it a 30Km drive but could do it in about 40 minutes! Can't do this daily though.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by NPV

Concluding with this thought - like the elevated highway has made commute to Electronics City much more saner, is there a way out for Whitefield also via Old Madras Road ?
Alternatively, the metro if extended from Baiyappanahalli may be a great solution but I dread even the thought of work commencing for this via Mahadevapura, one just won't be able to drive on that road till the work is completed.
.

I remember soil testing taking place on the divider long back between Whitefield Honda and Phoenix mall and I was thinking what it was for(metro/elevated road), but nothing has happened till date except for laying pipes all the way from ITPL to KR Puram on one side of the road and leaving it un-paved.

I had experienced what you go through daily just few times . Once during rush hour from Hoodi to KR Puram in which I was stuck in a jam and was at the same spot for almost half hour and the other one recently when I was headed to ITPL during morning rush hour and was stuck at the same area, for 15 minutes.
Luckily I used to work afternoon or evening when I was in GRTP by which I escaped a lot of stress and since I ride mostly, it is even better.
I used to get stressed just by thinking what if I was in my car instead of the bike at times there is bad traffic.

[VSRK]

Kundalahalli gate junction has become huge bottle neck for the commuters reaching ITPL/Whitefield/Marathalli bridge now a days. I'm staying at BEML layout which is harly 500 meters from kundalahalli junction. But it takes 15 mins to cross the junction during morning 8.15am onwards . I even tried taking Thubarahalli route and taking U turn near Prishti day care. That is also equally worse as more school buses (Vibgyor high/Narayana etc) takes U turn near Apollo clinic causing huge traffic jam. By average it takes nearly 15 mins for me to cross the kundalahalli junction covering 500 meters and rest 20 mins to reach my office at Sarjapur road which is 11 Kms away. Similarly while returning home in the evening, traffic piles up from Puravankara riveria apartment itself on top of the bridge, all the way till kundalahalli junction. Heard that flyover construction is on the card. This will further cause traffic jam out of gear till the completion of flyover for 3-4 years.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by NPV

Some experiences from the drives - a Ready Mix Concrete truck breaking down on the railway overbridge completely blocking traffic in one direction, old vehicles like tractors and trailers that are definitely not road worthy crawling in the middle of the road holding all traffic behind them to ransom,

Last week eh ? I was held up in that jam coz I take the same route to get home at 4:30pm every day. Driving home via KR Puram/Tin Factory is an absolute NO these days because of the chaos. Even educated one's have zero traffic etiquette's.

It's just gotten worse these days with the Nagavara fly over too. Jams every single day and then the usual share of nincompoops trying their stunts with zilch patience.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by VSRK

Heard that flyover construction is on the card. This will further cause traffic jam out of gear till the completion of flyover for 3-4 years.

Which flyover construction are you talking about. Is there space on the road to construct a flyover.??

[VSRK]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Which flyover construction are you talking about. Is there space on the road to construct a flyover.??

It's about flyover at Kundalahalli gate junction. I heard It's on the plan for the long time. Regarding space, I think bbmp will acquire road side shops if required. This flyover is very much required and need of the hour. But there is lot to compromise during construction of flyover which will create total mess.

[pratyush6]

Something has happened to the Apline Eco - Cement Factory - Graphite India signal. Yesterday took me a good 45 minutes from Soul Space Arena till the Graphite India Signal. Maddening crowd.

Left 30 minutes early today and the time came down to 30 minutes.

[bharat4ever]

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Something has happened to the Apline Eco - Cement Factory - Graphite India signal. Yesterday took me a good 45 minutes from Soul Space Arena till the Graphite India Signal. Maddening crowd.

Left 30 minutes early today and the time came down to 30 minutes.

I think is just that there is complete lawlessness there. No policemen, no signals, no pavements, which implies cabs and tempos use whichever lane, even the opposite one, if they prefer. Invariably will cause a jam.
I make it a point to avoid that road nowadays. Kundhalahalli, even if is more crowded, is gauranteed a traffic signal, and policemen.

[KevinP]

ALERT - Natural speed breakers and diversions from Jaksandra to Raheja signal ( wipro/flipkart road) herds of cows sun bathing!

[werfish]

Originally Posted by NPV

After 11 years, work takes me to Whitefield again and there's no comparison to what it was - utterly chaotic traffic, can't be worse

Where do you start from? ORR or OMR?

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

Off-late, lot of people jump signals. They look around, if there is no cop or or not much movement on one side, they drive\ride away. How are we going to stop them?

This isn't an of late behaviour, I'm surprised you are observing this only recently. There is a tendency for every form of motorist to skip signals and defy even the oncoming traffic of the opposite side in a bid to save 2 precious minutes. Pedestrians are now fully qualified jaywalkers, with that scenario a careless motorist and a jaywalker at the same moment wont spell good news.

Its sad that the people are becoming increasingly hostile here. Just today there was an argument between 2 cars because one slowed down the other before the signal stopped them, it got to the extent of competing with each others decibel output and the usual fervent hand waving. It just seems incredibly silly and juvenile to me over an irrelevant incident. This alongwith numerous 2 wheelers with blank plates, cabs/cars with threatening messages written on the rear window makes me feel that people's misconception of driving being a pursuit of machoism is as retarded as their driving ability.