[ankan.m.blr]

Originally Posted by arjithin

Looks like railway bridge near Bellandur railway station (Kadubeesanahalli - Varthur road) is going to get signal lights. Saw these lights today AM. They are yet to be connected to power.

The main problem with this road is the road is very very narrow near the railway underpass. The actual width of the underpass is for 1 and a half cars. 90% of apartments in area of Panathur, Kadubesanahalli, Bhoganahalli even upto DodaKanelli survive with water tankers which pass through this underpass 24/7. Add to this traffic Sobha & Prestige construction trucks/concrete mixer trucks. During rush hour it sometimes take an hour to cross this underpass.

[NPV]

Tracked the time on my office commute this morning and here's what i found:
1. Home to Tin Factory junction via Old Madras Road - ~10 minutes
2. Tin Factory junction to KR Puram Railway station - ~10 minutes
3. KR Puram Railway station to Decathlon/Metro Cash & Carry junction - ~10 minutes
4. Decathlon to Hoodi junction - ~10 minutes
5. Hoodi junction to Big Bazaar/Aloft junction - ~10 minutes

So, that was 50 minutes for a distance of 11Km, and this was on a day with somewhat "below normal" traffic
Given that one can get stuck in any of these stretches, the driving time can easily extend beyond 1 hr 15 minutes
That's just a small example of Bangalore traffic today

[binand]

Originally Posted by NPV

So, that was 50 minutes for a distance of 11Km

Such an easy life you have, living in the fast lane. :-) In comparison - this whole week it has taken me 20 minutes just to turn right at Yemalur signal and clear the Doddanekkundi T junction. This is a distance < 100m.

Add 15 minutes to clear Marathahalli overpass signal and merge with ORR.

Add 20 minutes from near Croma (where I enter the service road) to left turn at Kadubisanahalli junction.

Add another 15-20 minutes for zones where it was relatively free-flowing.

That is, nearly 1.5 hours to get to work from home - a distance of 6 km.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by binand

That is, nearly 1.5 hours to get to work from home - a distance of 6 km.

Shocked!!

You could walk faster than that. Provided you good space to walk.

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by binand

Add 15 minutes to clear Marathahalli overpass signal and merge with ORR.

.

I hope you also counted the "S" to go from ISRO gate at Doddanekundi and get on the correct side of the ORR towards Maratahalli. This is a frequent scene of hideous jams. Life would be simpler if there were a better solution for that direction with the complex set of turns.
Also folk coming from Maratahalli towards Rainbow hospital have to go left and then go right to avoid this gauntlet.

[Shanenanigans]

I keep an eye on this thread to actively know what traffic jams are happening, should I encounter one of them.

Truth be told, I really enjoy my route to office and back. Travel time is 30-35 mins from Jakkur to RMZ Infinity and 25-30 minutes on the way back (onward, I have to go behind Baiyappanhalli station, so about 4km longer.

One way is ~18km and the other is ~14km.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by Shanenanigans

I keep an eye on this thread to actively know what traffic jams are happening, should I encounter one of them.

Truth be told, I really enjoy my route to office and back. Travel time is 30-35 mins from Jakkur to RMZ Infinity and 25-30 minutes on the way back (onward, I have to go behind Baiyappanhalli station, so about 4km longer.

One way is ~18km and the other is ~14km.

Wow..an average speed of 30kmph or more !!

I spend a lot of my traffic jam time on car watching & observing other drivers around me. Its fun !

[hemanth.anand]

Since 3 days, on my way to office, I'm seeing 5 idiots on their morning jogging.
If you wonder why I call these joggers as idiots, it is because they do it on the NECE road section between Bhannerghatta road and Hosur road!!!
First day when I saw them, I was like

All the 5 of these idiots who appear literates and coming form well-to-do homes, jog side by side occupying the entire emergency lane/two wheeler lane.
If I have to find one point in favour of them, it is that they jog on the opposite direction of the traffic flow.

I agree parks in this city are reducing by the day, but it still has many good places to go for a morning jog.
But no, the citizens of the city need some thrill I guess

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by arjithin;4014904)

I spend a lot of my traffic jam time on car watching & observing other drivers around me. Its fun !

That triggers me: what do you folks do when you are stuck in traffic? How do you keep cool?

Me, I have Kindle on my phone. I read whenever i come to a complete stop with some good music (classic rock, Tamil film, Western classical or jazz) playing on the stereo. When a gap opens up or if the lights turn green, the folks behind you help you out by honking & letting you know.

No tension & you get caught up on a lot of reading - about 50-60 pages a day.

I also catch up on my social calling (bluetooth. Strongly recommend the Jabra freeway if you don't have a built-in BT).

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by sridhu

That triggers me: what do you folks do when you are stuck in traffic? How do you keep cool?

All these while, I use to listen to FM and talks of RJs, but later I felt not much is happening on FMs (means, it has become a bit boring now). So, one day I thought of riding through the ORR traffic (Doddanekkundi to JP Nagar ) in complete silence watching only the activities/mischief's on the road. Actually it is a bit of fun watching how people behave on the busy roads.

Edit: Slightly OT - Can Bhpians start car pooling? If we have a separate thread, may be as Car Pooling - Bangalore, members can start putting info on their start and end point along with the route and start connecting with fellow members.

[binand]

Originally Posted by sridhu

That triggers me: what do you folks do when you are stuck in traffic? How do you keep cool?

Podcasts.

I invested a lot in getting the right hardware and software in place.

1. Since my car doesn't have Bluetooth integrated, I got one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008XMV05G. It has been more than a year, and it is still doing well. Everything I tried prior to that - locally sourced BT and FM adapters - all were of inferior quality that conked off within months if not weeks.

2. A 4G data card and plan from Airtel: http://www.airtel.in/4G.

3. A Wifi router that takes data cards and can be powered off USB: http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00634PLTW.

4. To hook everything up, one of these: http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00OZ5BQ36 (though I have since then added a Dashcam to the mix, so planning to upgrade to the 4-port version).

5. Beyondpod Podcast Manager: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mobi.beyondpod (Unlock key costs about Rs. 500).

Now I have blazing fast Internet inside my car. I listen to a lot of podcasts on topics that interest me (Science & Tech, Current Affairs, Economics, Comedy etc.). I get about 90-120 minutes every day for this and have been doing this regularly for more than a year now.

I also tried Audible audiobooks, but their pricing model didn't appeal to me. There are public domain audiobooks at https://librivox.org but I haven't tried those yet.

There there is probably the world's biggest collection of digital audio content, Youtube. I pick stuff off there too.

Edit: I do have CDs, mostly rock and western classical, but those I play only on long drives and often when I'm out of digital content and insufficient network access. FM I loathe because one has to suffer through 14 minutes of advertising and inane drivel by the RJs to listen to 1 minute of content.

[naturaldisaster]

Originally Posted by binand

Podcasts.

I invested ~SNIP~

I also tried Audible audiobooks, but their pricing model didn't appeal to me. There are public domain audiobooks at https://librivox.org but I haven't tried those yet.

~SNIP~ of content.

Slightly OT

Nice setup. About Audiobooks, i used to travel by metro for 2 hrs a day. And how the hours passed. They are very immersive. much more than listening to music. But i did notice that it is hard to concentrate on the story while driving (not stationary). With music its flawless. Your subconscious mind does the driving while you pay attention to the music. Its the same with Chatting on the phone too (with a handsfree of course.)

Is it the same with you too?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by naturaldisaster

But i did notice that it is hard to concentrate on the story while driving (not stationary). With music its flawless. Your subconscious mind does the driving while you pay attention to the music. Its the same with Chatting on the phone too (with a handsfree of course.)

I have been with Audible for 6-7 years now. Works flawlessly. In fact fiction can be easily heard. Its the serious ones which require lot more thinking which are difficult. Else I find them as subconscious to listen to as music.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by sridhu

That triggers me: what do you folks do when you are stuck in traffic? How do you keep cool?

Interesting question. I generally keep my VHF set on, and there are other HAM friends who are also out there on the road (mainly during the evening times). So weather situation, traffic updates across the city comes in .

But some times there is no much activity there as well, so I put on my favorite songs. Mainly Malayalam oldies, western classical (instrumental) and some military marches (when I really need to get energized). I have them in my USB. The advantage of USB being, I can also put in some fresh set of songs easily. No need to carry dozens of CDs etc. FM radio stations generally have more of useless chatter than actual content, so I keep away from them.

Luckily for me in my commute, I really don't get into a stand still mode for more than 5-7 mins at one spot. The vehicle keeps moving, which means I have to be on the alert as well. You really don't know what strange move the drivers/riders around you are going to make.

[itwasntme]

As usual am antiquated and totally unhelpful stance from Indian Railways coupled with our usual politicking GoK babus:

Suburban train: Tracks are ready, but not a penny is forthcoming for project in Bengaluru

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/53203845.cms

Extract:
<None of this money has been forthcoming. Now, South Western Railway divisional manager Sanjiv Agarwal says Bengaluru's rail network is "chocked beyond limits and we cannot accommodate more trains."

"Three months ago, we directed RITES to revise its report (because of the long gap since it was submitted)...Recently it submitted a revised report but there were technical errors and we sent it back," Agarwal said.

Commuters, however, are crying foul about Agarwal's assessment>