[Chetan_Rao]

It's difficult to compare cities as such, each have their pros and cons, but Bangalore is devolving faster than most places I've lived in India. It wasn't very long ago that Bangalore was considered a haven of relaxed living, now it's just another 'Metro' bursting at the seams.

Pollution, you say? Just the dust from non-existent roads inhaled in traffic everyday will probably kill someone with a chronic breathing problem, forget all other pollutants. I've known a few Asthma sufferers in my acquaintance circle pack up and leave for smaller towns (none happily so), some of them lifelong Bangaloreans.

I'm allergic to dust and pollen myself, and my doc's opinion is I should consider relocating long-term to a city with less SPM pollutants (natural and synthetic). Now where do I find one of these paradises with clean air to breathe?

[pratyush6]

The exit from NGEF (towards Indiranagar) is now manned by a traffic warden and jams extend beyond the bridge. This probably has happened last week?

Any time after 8am and it takes me easily 30 minutes to even reach the U Turn on the Old Madras Road.

Then there is the problem of people making so many parallel lines and cutting each other left right and center The Cabs are the worst at it. Majority of the bikers are no better, they simply drive up the wrong way and block even the incoming traffic.

The Picture tells it all. This guy made me a good 15 minutes before we could move.

[dreadknight5]

Originally Posted by werfish

What's it with majority of forumers, that you consider 2 Wheeler drivers as a menance, If they too take their single occupancy car like majority of you guys, Think about the havoc.If most of the 4 wheeler drivers here were able to drive left and right like 2 wheelers you would drive. Not getting that luxury doesn't mean you bad mouth the 2 wheelers.Bangalore has always had the highest number of 2 wheelers in the Country.People who come from elsewhere and then crib about 2 wheelers in Bangalore have no idea of this history.
Sorry for the rant, But its sick to constantly see this class racism in a forum about vehicles.

Sorry buddy , Bangalore always have had the highest number of 2 wheelers in the world. But it was never this crazy as it is now. Having lived in both Bangalore and Hyderabad and now coming back to Bangalore, I am tempted to say that the majority of the 2 wheeler maniacs are probably from AP/TS.

Now its not being racist to say that the 2 wheelers are a menace in Bangalore/Hyderabad. To be honest they really are most of the time. Talking about luxury, the 2 wheeler drivers don't have to deal with the luxury of coughing up 5-10k / scratch. Its not uncommon for them to scratch the 4 wheeler in their effort of squeezing past bumper to bumper traffic and ride off as if nothing happened.

Now you are probably a very responsible driver on the roads. But you cannot say the same for every 2 wheeler driver. And please don't think that all 4 wheeler drivers are awesome either. The only reason why they stick to lane discipline is because they have no where to go.

The bigger problem is left unaddressed though. Yes the 2 wheeler drivers are a menace in general and there are quite a few bad 4 wheeler drivers as well. However the biggest problem is that in general we are driving on the roads that hasn't grown in width since the past 2-3 decades, while the traffic on the same roads has grown 10 fold.

[sandeepmohan]

This is not a rant. It is about the difference felt, driving on a relaid stretch of road. These road works guys are fast. The Hoodi to Hope Farm direction is relaid. The relaying of the road has also flattened the speed breakers. After driving over battered roads for years, where one has to slow down every 50 meters or so, to deal with a rut or a speed hump, it now feels like you are on Aladdins magic carpet. What a difference. I can now hear all the small noises (minor rattles) in the car, cause the drive is so quiet. I know this road ain't gonna last. For the time it does, enjoy it.

[sidzz]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

This is not a rant. It is about the difference felt, driving on a relaid stretch of road. These road works guys are fast. The Hoodi to Hope Farm direction is relaid. The relaying of the road has also flattened the speed breakers. After driving over battered roads for years, where one has to slow down every 50 meters or so, to deal with a rut or a speed hump, it now feels like you are on Aladdins magic carpet. What a difference. I can now hear all the small noises (minor rattles) in the car, cause the drive is so quiet. I know this road ain't gonna last. For the time it does, enjoy it.

I agree with you. Morning drive was pleasure. I switched off the music and it was so quiet. Faint hum of the AC blower that's it.

Yesterday at 6pm i was coming form MG Road to Whitefield through KR Puram. I was so surprised. I thought something's not right.
I reached in 20mins. Fast moving traffic at KR Puram junction.

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

This is not a rant. It is about the difference felt, driving on a relaid stretch of road. These road works guys are fast. The Hoodi to Hope Farm direction is relaid. The relaying of the road has also flattened the speed breakers. After driving over battered roads for years, where one has to slow down every 50 meters or so, to deal with a rut or a speed hump, it now feels like you are on Aladdins magic carpet. What a difference. I can now hear all the small noises (minor rattles) in the car, cause the drive is so quiet. I know this road ain't gonna last. For the time it does, enjoy it.

Seeing the weather today , it looks like it just might rain and wash away that awesome tarmac to reveal the road that was there last week. As ridiculous as it may sound , I do pray for no rains.

[ajitkommini]

On a slightly happier note, hats off to the policemen manning the EMC2 junction on outer ring road every morning. These guys are really active and do a good job of managing what would otherwise be a completely chaotic situation.

[raghuram.cg]

Originally Posted by ajitkommini

On a slightly happier note, hats off to the policemen manning the EMC2 junction on outer ring road every morning. These guys are really active and do a good job of managing what would otherwise be a completely chaotic situation.

Yes! - they deserve an award.

[JD1]

Originally Posted by john.gt

Don't be so optimistic
Only the good roads get relaid, as far as I've seen. The bad ones are only leveled with sand and stones.
The stretch I mentioned as leveled was this [Nallaruhalli Village Road] Both sides of this road are illegal constructions, there by causing a bottleneck.

Nope - the road in front of Whitefield Market/Marigold is still bad. Took that today morning to go towards ITPL (Marathahalli-Kundalahalli-Nallurahalli road) and was stuck in half km jam. That along with a blue BMTC bus breakdown on top of Bellandur flyover meant longer than usual commute. Saving grace was the decision not to take Graphite India road from Kundalahalli which it seems was a mess today morning.

[john.gt]

Originally Posted by JD1

Nope - the road in front of Whitefield Market/Marigold is still bad. Took that today morning to go towards ITPL (Marathahalli-Kundalahalli-Nallurahalli road) and was stuck in half km jam.

The leveling I believe was done by some locals or builders offloading construction waste. It used to be a roller coaster ride post the diwali rains and vehicles had to stop, plan the route to take and move. Compared to that, it is indeed a marked improvement.

I've been stuck in the same stretch in a km long jam and for an hour. The icing on the cake was, it was at 8:45 am During this week I've hardly spent more than 10 minutes there.

The block there is mainly due to two and three wheelers squeezing in between vehicles at the junction, bringing the entire traffic to a halt. Add to that bad roads and the recipe is right for a perfect jam.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It wasn't very long ago that Bangalore was considered a haven of relaxed living, now it's just another 'Metro' bursting at the seams.

Bangalore even until 2012 had a perfect mix of working + relaxed lifestyle, though it was getting worse by the year. We have used every linguistic expression possible to describe the scene of things at present. I prefer to call it simply - unliveable.

Just the dust from non-existent roads inhaled in traffic everyday will probably kill someone with a chronic breathing problem, forget all other pollutants. I've known a few Asthma sufferers in my acquaintance circle pack up and leave for smaller towns (none happily so), some of them lifelong Bangaloreans

Yep, it affects everyone - what varies is the response due to the varied resistance levels of each body. For bronchitis & asthma sufferers the effects will be felt everyday until they become severe one day and for those not having congestion problems, well it will still get severe in other forms one day.

Now where do I find one of these paradises with clean air to breathe?

For a start - Ooty, Coorg, Kodai & Munnar in South, Lavasa, Lonavla & Khandala in West, most of North-East and maybe smaller non metros like Mysore, Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore etc. Its another matter that most of these places have a very restricted economy and hence the lesser vehicles. Open up the economy and the Bangalore/Pune story would repeat all over again.

[NPV]

Ok, so the bubble had to burst and it was today!
Morning commute at usual time took 1 hour from Indiranagar to Big Bazaar junction. Slow moving traffic started near the Bimal Maruti showroom all the way to Hoodi junction. After Hoodi junction, it eased a bit...and the best part is that Hoodi to Big Bazaar junction has been patched up so definitely it wasn't the bad road condition on this stretch that caused the slow movement of vehicles. Heck there wasn't any apparent reason at all but it was slow - so is it Gremlins, Law of averages or Murphy's Law I don't know

[naveenroy]

Was something wrong with the traffic last night? It has been taking me 45 mins to an hour in the past few months from EC to Koramangala when returning back home. Usually around 7 or 7:30 PM. But last night, it just took me 25 mins!

I thought I was dreaming.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

........another matter that most of these places have a very restricted economy and hence the lesser vehicles. Open up the economy and the Bangalore/Pune story would repeat all over again.

I have personally experienced Bhopal (parents settled there for nearly 2 decades now), and you need to see it now to believe it. I'd never in my life experienced a traffic jam there, until a visit this holiday season. Dad says it's becoming worse, though it may never become as bad as Metros with Indore being the economic center of that region, Bhopal will hopefully be spared from rampant 'progress'. It's still a million times better than BLR anyday and I cherish the short holidays I'm home every year. Absolute bliss to walk on the airport bypass road early mornings with hardly a soul (human or automotive) in sight.

The entrepreneurial bug is beginning to tickle me after years of corporate work, and I may actually pack up and go home in a few years to start something of my own, if for nothing else but the (relatively) laid-back life.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I have personally experienced Bhopal (parents settled there for nearly 2 decades now), and you need to see it now to believe it. I'd never in my life experienced a traffic jam there, until a visit this holiday season. Dad says it's becoming worse, though it may never become as bad as Metros with Indore being the economic center of that region, Bhopal will hopefully be spared from rampant 'progress'. It's still a million times better than BLR anyday and I cherish the short holidays I'm home every year. Absolute bliss to walk on the airport bypass road early mornings with hardly a soul (human or automotive) in sight.
The entrepreneurial bug is beginning to tickle me after years of corporate work, and I may actually pack up and go home in a few years to start something of my own, if for nothing else but the (relatively) laid-back life.

Ditto for my hometown "Bhubaneswar", which is slowly taking over as a major hub in Eastern India. With Kolkata having a fair bit of sweet and sour growth, IT companies (in particular) are focussing on setting Bhubaneswar as their eastern hub.

Sometimes it takes about 45 mins to cross a 2km stretch. Happens atleast once or twice a week. Even my dad has the same thoughts about the booming traffic conditions.

Roads have been widened, footpaths built, flyovers built, but the traffic keeps on increasing and jams are slowly becoming a norm there.
They should understand the Bangalore failure model and should keep upgrading themselves slowly (metro, suburban railway, etc) unlike Bangalore, where everyone says "sudden IT Boom" which is a elephant sized lie !! Basically here, corruption has taken over every Babu in every civic department, which is why Bangalore is failing and fading slowly.