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Old 24th April 2013, 16:46   #1696
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

P.S. supremeBaleno.. it is not a sermon to you again, but for all the T-BHP members who think that they are the only ones who are right and everyone else is bad and wrong and should go to hell because they cause hardships to others and commit suicides in front the nice new cars.

Traffic is traffic and everyone is welcome to rant here, but to blame another citizen (when we ourselves are not clean) or any of the other T-BHP members (who are also bikers) for all the ruckus is a totally different thing.

Last edited by esteem_lover : 24th April 2013 at 16:49. Reason: Reasoning
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Old 24th April 2013, 18:02   #1697
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by esteem_lover
You are right, there should definitely be a better way that these 'issues' can be resolved.
No.1. Follow traffic rules (does not matter whether you are a politician or the uber rich gadgetman/techie with your first car.)
No.2. Practice what you not only preach, but what you expect from other road users (morons to many because they ride bikes and supposedly they do not have brains).
No.3. Respect law enforcing officers (whether they are rude or corrupt), remember respect is mutual.
No.4. Look at your self in the mirror and honestly ask this question only to yourself. Am I so good and sincere and uncorrupted to point a finger at another motorist and call him names (when we have also been like him, maybe cannot afford a car right now) or to the law or the Government ?
No.5. Does the fact that we have a car and travel in one right now mean the other road users are morons ?
Do you even read what was posted, before you go into sermon mode ? Some of your points above are for making the world a better place - something I am not pursuing. If you want to take it up, be my guest. And the remaining few (respecting cops - seems to be your pet topic + bikers affordability or lack of it, their finanical status etc) are neither relevant here not were raised by anyone. It would really help if you posted something relevant to what is being discussed. Since you obviously did not read enough of what was posted to understand the crux, let me refresh your memory :

1) There is a beautiful 4-6 lane road that has been built by the Govt for which I and many others on this thread pay 40 bucks toll daily to use (the bikers use it free BTW - no complaints though). Is it a sin to expect to be able to travel freely on this road using the available bandwidth ? And if this whole expectation is derailed by putting up hazardous blocks, is it wrong to think of any alternative that will help avoid pedestrian deaths and at the same time not obstruct traffic. No one here said that pedestrians should not be considered in the scheme of things. Infact the design already has overbridges built for them, which is not used by them. A subway might be a better less exerting option. Or maybe cop-manned signals at reasonable points. Basically checking out ideas that might be a better solution for all. Ofcourse since you are not using this road or maybe have not even driven on this road since they introduced these contraptions, it is just about typing sermons for you.

2) No one (at least I did not) called anyone a moron - be it a biker or anyone.
This was what I posted about bikers "merging" onto OMR which is a fact that anyone who uses this road sees on a daily basis - show me where I called them morons or even degraded them. Get your facts right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
....if a biker merging onto OMR from service-lane got hit, in all probability he did not look out for vehicles coming his way while merging. This is a standard biker-trait in Chennai - point the front wheel to where the biker's mind is and just proceed without checking for other vehicles. And in most instances you can see that they are not "merging" into OMR, but just getting onto it at right-angles...
Quote:
Originally Posted by esteem_lover
P.S. supremeBaleno.. it is not a sermon to you again, but for all the T-BHP members...
LOL, very ingenious - everytime quoting some part of my post (mostly irrelevant) and then adding a disclaimer about the sermon not being for me. But as I said before for your earlier sermon, I really don't care. If I wanted to listen to a sermon, I would haul myself to church. Won't come to an online forum for that. And more importantly, the sermon should be meaningful and make sense - should not consist of irrelevant and out-of-context ramblings that make no sense, like what you posted.
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Old 24th April 2013, 18:25   #1698
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Ofcourse since you are not using this road or maybe have not even driven on this road since they introduced these contraptions, it is just about typing sermons for you.
I did have the opportunity to use this road yesterday during peak hours and here are my observations:

1. Started @8:45am from Mylapore to reach Mahabs around 10:00 am via OMR

2. Started at 5:45pm and reached home at 7:45pm.

Most parts of the roads are good and that is especially beyond Navalur / Kelambakkam etc.

Botteneck areas are Kelambakkam / Sholinganallur / Tiruvanmiyur junctions ofcourse as well as Cancer institute signal.

It was indeed amusing to note that the toll road ends at Navalur and this is where a HUGE pile of traffic [mostly IT] buses and cars begin / end their journey. Beyond that this road is as good as any other in the country - I think it is better than ECR too.


And once this traffic starts, the basic fellow courtesy to let another road user use the slalom first [I'd like to call the barrels slalom] is not evident and this creates the unwanted traffic snarls that one gets into.

Looks like the educated and the well heeled need to be aware of basic traffic rules on this road.

Sad, that all are NOT a part of this forum, or do read this thread AND understand the joys of driving

Last edited by headers : 24th April 2013 at 18:26.
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Old 24th April 2013, 19:25   #1699
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by VW2010 View Post

Mepz is the classic example of where you can see educated idiots.
Agree, and I have seen and experienced it personally (back in 2009 - 2010).

Have they gotten rid of the massive speed breakers already?
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Old 24th April 2013, 21:02   #1700
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

One more to the list!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by VW2010 View Post
Mepz is the classic example of where you can see educated idiots.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil View Post
Agree, and I have seen and experienced it personally (back in 2009 - 2010).
The infamous OMR till the toll road ends
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Old 25th April 2013, 11:25   #1701
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Quote:
Originally Posted by headers
I did have the opportunity to use this road yesterday during peak hours and here are my observation. Started @8:45am from Mylapore to reach Mahabs around 10:00 am via OMR
Since you mentioned some phenomenal peak-hour times for a road that I have been using for years (since the time it was just a cratered mess), I thought it might help to time my travel on that stretch.
Today @8:15AM (pre-peak hour) I got onto OMR at MadhyaKailash (MK) and I was in front of my office @ 8:35AM - 20mins for 8kms in normal driving with speeds based on traffic. At 9AM (peak hour) which would be when you would have started at MK, this 8km stretch would take atleast 30-35mins. The milestone in front of my office says it is 40kms to Mahabs. So to reach Mahabs at 10AM, you would need to cover that 40kms in 25-30mins. Given that this stretch has the infamous Sholinganallur signal / Kelambakkam / Navalur etc + many chicanes, this is not possible unless one has a private lane to drive on. Basically, your onward timings are way off. The return trip of 2hours might be possible though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by headers
And once this traffic starts, the basic fellow courtesy to let another road user use the slalom first is not evident and this creates the unwanted traffic snarls that one gets into.
Yeah, right!!! Create a mess by blocking the roads with unscientific barriers and then blame it on lack of courtesy of road-users. Even if chicanes are to be placed, there could be advance information about these so that motorists can plan the lane-merge in advance, reducing the chaos. As things stand today, you are driving along in one of the 3 lanes and if a bus/SUV is in front of you, you won't even be aware of the upcoming chicane till you see the motorists in front frantically merging to the left/right (depending on the lane they were in) and you also follow the rush. And when you see in your RVM a SETC-Volvo or staff-bus barrelling straight at you, last thing on your mind is courtesy and you move out of the way, possibly inconveniencing the guy adjacent to you (unintentionally). All this could be avoided by upfront warning/info about the chicane. But that would be making it too easy for the road-users. So why bother?

Quote:
Originally Posted by headers
Looks like the educated and the well heeled need to be aware of basic traffic rules on this road.
What does education/money have to do with awareness of traffic rules ? We are not taught traffic-rules in schools anyway. And it does not need a degree to get a license. So it is not like OMR (or any road) has only educated/IT drivers. No point in irrelevant generalisation.
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Old 25th April 2013, 11:43   #1702
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

I really am beginning to think that some sort of road rule awareness camp should be conducted along with booklets for their references on do's/don'ts on the roads. Atleast if a fraction of the people assimilate those facts, the roads will become that much a percent safer. If it means to avoid a few accidents this way, i feel it would be a good initiative. I currently am contemplating on where to start though. CCTP would definitely never come up with something like this, though we as Bhpians can do something.

Last edited by Arch-Angel : 25th April 2013 at 11:52.
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Old 25th April 2013, 17:07   #1703
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Quote:
hat does education/money have to do with awareness of traffic rules ? We are not taught traffic-rules in schools anyway. And it does not need a degree to get a license. So it is not like OMR (or any road) has only educated/IT drivers. No point in irrelevant generalisation.
The interpretation to what headers said is probably educated can read the sign board, should know that a RED is stop and you dont cross it irrespective of what and the hope that education would have taught some basic sense and road culture.

Its not generalization. That OMR road is now majorly used by educated one, if they follow rules and use that education to behave with maturity and patience, probably its easy to nab the culprits.

But us educated ones also know the more the merrier and tougher to get caught and behave like a mob of rule brakers knowing you can escape.

But that is my interpretation and i do not see a generalization.

We are equally fed up with that shols and tigel junction and all it takes is a little patience and following rules to keep the traffic moving smooth. But that will never happen irrespective of what education is meant to teach.
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Old 25th April 2013, 18:17   #1704
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

You don't need to be educated to know that RED means stop - the cabbie knows it just as much as the MTC driver as the IT guy. And what culprits & crime are you talking about ? Trying to pass first at a chicane is not a crime as far as I know - at best it can be called lack of courtesy, but that is something we as a society don't display even in other spheres of life.

And is the implication that traffic is unruly only on OMR ? And that is because many IT guys drive on it? And all the other roads in the city for eg. in Mylapore / Mogappair / RK.Salai etc are orderly with no one breaking rules because it is the rule-abiding Govt officials and driving-within-speed-limits businessmen who drive there ? Common, the traffic sense (or lack of it) is the same in the whole city or even the whole country. And talking of crimes, how many of us here drive within 40kmph within the city which is the speed-limit ? Or within 70/80kmph on the highways ? You could be mature/patient and drive within the limit, no ? Or how many of us who drink can honestly say that they have never ever driven under the influence ? And profession is not a factor here - IT-types / Govt officials / businessmen all would have DUI.

Of my 20kms drive to work, only 8km is on OMR, the rest is inside the city where the roads are maybe half the width of OMR. There is traffic there too, but no complaints because the narrow roads are a constraint you have to live with or you could start early to avoid it. But if someone puts chicanes there too, then it is not a constraint one would want to live with because it chokes an already choked road further leading to snarls.
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Old 25th April 2013, 21:23   #1705
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Since you mentioned some phenomenal peak-hour times for a road that I have been using for years (since the time it was just a cratered mess), I thought it might help to time my travel on that stretch.
...
Basically, your onward timings are way off. The return trip of 2hours might be possible though.
You ought to sit with me if you wanna re-look at how I drive if you dont believe the timings. I have no reason to lie and it is in the least of my interests.

You may have been using the road for years but still may not know how to use it efficiently.

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Yeah, right!!! Create a mess by blocking the roads with unscientific barriers and then blame it on lack of courtesy of road-users. Even if chicanes are to be placed, there could be advance information about these so that motorists can plan the lane-merge in advance, reducing the chaos. As things stand today, you are driving along in one of the 3 lanes and if a bus/SUV is in front of you, you won't even be aware of the upcoming chicane till you see the motorists in front frantically merging to the left/right (depending on the lane they were in) and you also follow the rush. And when you see in your RVM a SETC-Volvo or staff-bus barrelling straight at you, last thing on your mind is courtesy and you move out of the way, possibly inconveniencing the guy adjacent to you (unintentionally). All this could be avoided by upfront warning/info about the chicane. But that would be making it too easy for the road-users. So why bother?

What does education/money have to do with awareness of traffic rules ? We are not taught traffic-rules in schools anyway. And it does not need a degree to get a license. So it is not like OMR (or any road) has only educated/IT drivers. No point in irrelevant generalisation.
Sir, everything is irrelevant including this thread as you are RIGHT and all of us are WRONG - Happy ?


Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
You don't need to be educated to know that RED means stop - the cabbie knows it just as much as the MTC driver as the IT guy. And what culprits & crime are you talking about ? Trying to pass first at a chicane is not a crime as far as I know - at best it can be called lack of courtesy, but that is something we as a society don't display even in other spheres of life.
Lets not drag this into scientific reasoning and empirical distribution of the traffic on a logarithmic scale for placement of barrels by CCTP to control morons who cannot understand red color !!!

And when i meant educated - I meant EDUCATED, not literate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
And is the implication that traffic is unruly only on OMR ? And that is because many IT guys drive on it? And all the other roads in the city for eg. in Mylapore / Mogappair / RK.Salai etc are orderly with no one breaking rules because it is the rule-abiding Govt officials and driving-within-speed-limits businessmen who drive there ?
LOL - Atleast no one cribs as much about other parts of the city. I gotta give you 7 ******* for this thread and your taking things personally though it was not meant to.

Btw, I had a recent trip to Kerala with family last week and been driven in a cab where everything except road discipline was evident.

Route - Trichur - Guruvayoor - Velur - Kavaserry - Palghat [Olavakode]

Maybe time i start a separate thread on that!!
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Old 25th April 2013, 23:10   #1706
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by headers
You ought to sit with me if you wanna re-look at how I drive if you dont believe the timings. I have no reason to lie and it is in the least of my interests.
I did not say you lied. I said your timings are way off for onward journey. Whether it is you driving or Schumacher, on a choked road, there is nothing that can be done other than sit and cool your heels. Unless you know some trick to fly above the traffic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by headers
Btw, I had a recent trip to Kerala with family last week and been driven in a cab where everything except road discipline was evident.
Route - Trichur - Guruvayoor - Velur - Kavaserry - Palghat [Olavakode]
Maybe time i start a separate thread on that!!
You were lucky that your trip was in North Kerala because atleast the roads are better/wider there (no comparison still to the wide/smooth roads in other states). In south Kerala, the so-called NH47 is actually just as wide as the Pondy Bazaar road and built the same way (no medians) and with everyone trying to overtake the other by driving on the oncoming lane.

Please go ahead and start a thread - you would only have people accepting the facts instead of what you see on this thread. When someone posts about traffic in Tambaram, your standard retort has been "There is more to Chennai than traffic". As if the poster and others here did not not know that there is more to Chennai than traffic. When someone posts that signals are not working at some place or traffic is crazy at some place, he is just mentioning a fact in a particular context (traffic/road in this case), and not degrading the city like you automatically assume.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 25th April 2013 at 23:39.
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Old 26th April 2013, 07:58   #1707
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
I did not say you lied. I said your timings are way off for onward journey. Whether it is you driving or Schumacher, on a choked road, there is nothing that can be done other than sit and cool your heels. Unless you know some trick to fly above the traffic.
Yeah, i do know some tricks to move with traffic

Quote:
You were lucky that your trip was in North Kerala because atleast the roads are better/wider there (no comparison still to the wide/smooth roads in other states). In south Kerala, the so-called NH47 is actually just as wide as the Pondy Bazaar road and built the same way (no medians) and with everyone trying to overtake the other by driving on the oncoming lane.
I have driven from CBE to Ernakulam, cochin, allepey, munnar etc in Kerala in a diesel Amby when there were no concept of medians even in our NHs. This was way back in the late 80s early 90s.

I'm not amused that some things have not changed.

And BTW, I dont take things personally, if someone is expressing a view, but harping on the same things time and time again is not healthy on a forum.

Its like someone who browses the forum only finds negatives, negatives and negatives about chennai traffic which is really not the case, if one has explored more of chennai.

The traffic in this city is miles ahead of many others and i do not wish to start a controversy!!!

Peace and out!!
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Old 26th April 2013, 09:54   #1708
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Any city's traffic could be better than Tirupati's! My brother had an absolute nightmare with people going everywhere on a 1 way road! In that regard, i would rate chennai's traffic better. But otherwise, every city has to improve and we are no exception. The lack of courteousness and kindness is something i am beginning to notice off late.
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Old 26th April 2013, 15:17   #1709
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

supremebaleno,

I said the following was one of the reasons for putting up road blocks in the beautiful IT expressway. Where did I say that you called the bikers morons or bring any reference of my post to point at you ? It was just a response for your ramblings on traffic on that road. Why get personal here ??? You are ranting and I am trying to come up with a way that we can improve our driving style first before pointing fingers at authorities or fellow road users.

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Originally Posted by esteem_lover View Post
So how do we handle these kind of people on the roads when they deny the truth and say they were right ? And go on about moron bikers on the road cutting in front of their "beloved" cars ? Or about small 10 degree turns that they have to make and wait for 15 mins at a junction ? Isn't that why there are road blocks ? To stop these kind of misinformed misguided BIG CAR users who can hurt lives more than cause dents in another important BIG car ?

Is the life of a human being (maybe a moron to many here) less important than wasting precious time because of hurdles put by the "stupid cops" ?
More important reason for slow traffic which I have noticed in my 'limited' driving experience (in the IT super express highway) is the whole lot of 'first time' car owners lugging their new cars and moving in jerks especially around the unscientific barrels. I am sure some of us here being a lot more experienced and seasoned drivers should have learnt how to keep moving with the traffic and not waste others' time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
And is the implication that traffic is unruly only on OMR ? And that is because many IT guys drive on it? And all the other roads in the city for eg. in Mylapore / Mogappair / RK.Salai etc are orderly with no one breaking rules because it is the rule-abiding Govt officials and driving-within-speed-limits businessmen who drive there ?
No, there are many IT guys driving through Mogappair as well and very pleasant chaps too, e.g venom rider, ranjit etc among many others and there are traffic snarls there too in spite of the law abiding Govt officials and 'driving within speed limits' businessmen. Just that they do not bicker post after post, page after page about the same thing. A newbie walking into this thread (Traffic and life on the road in Chennai) might start to think that OMR was the only road in Chennai with insurmountable traffic problems.

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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
All this could be avoided by upfront warning/info about the chicane. But that would be making it too easy for the road-users. So why bother?
Signs and signals are for people who see them and are willing to obey. When folks here cannot even see a bright red light come up, where is the patience to turn the head and read through an unscientific sign that some guy put up in bad English ?

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Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
Ofcourse since you are not using this road or maybe have not even driven on this road since they introduced these contraptions, it is just about typing sermons for you.
Nope, my experience is just limited to watching experts driving in their 'surprise' cars.

P.S. I will just ignore your personal comments/attacks on me, I don't intend to stoop that low.

Think it is time to rename this thread "Travails of IT professionals on the IT Expressway".

Last edited by GTO : 1st May 2013 at 09:21. Reason: Cleaning up thread and removing personal attacks. Please do NOT submit rude posts on Team-BHP
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Old 26th April 2013, 15:56   #1710
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Think it is time to rename this thread "Travails of IT professionals on the IT Expressway".

I guess, it should read - " Learning to drive responsibly on OMR "
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