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Old 21st May 2013, 18:22   #1741
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

I guess thats one of the Three Musketeers featured by Pete.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...type=3&theater

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Old 21st May 2013, 18:34   #1742
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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These rubber speed-breakers might look tiny compared to the conventional humps, but they are way potent than the latter. You can crawl over them at the lowest speed, but they will still jolt you and the car/bike. I hope they stick to the conventional type & don't bring in these rubber back-breakers.

We have 2 rubber speed breakers right inside our office just after the entry gate. How much ever slow you negotiate them, they make you feel their presence in every way possible.

Wonder if a "Go Slow" works in India or not. If yes, why do they really resort to something like this. Brutal !!!

Last edited by Shiv_1984 : 21st May 2013 at 18:38.
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Old 21st May 2013, 18:52   #1743
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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On OMR, the drums used as chicanes are slowly giving way. Some of them are bent out of shape (got hit by heavy vehicles at night?), while some are missing, leading to a situation where at many places there are only 1 or 2 drums, which means traffic does not need to slow down like earlier, making it risky for pedestrians who are waiting to cross OMR a few metres after the chicanes.
Come on Biju - i got the drums removed by a friendly motorist and you start complaining risk for the pedestrians
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Old 22nd May 2013, 09:37   #1744
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Saar, you could either have your friendly motorist remove the remaining drums also, so that atleast the motorists will be happy. Or have him put back the drums so that pedestrians will be happy. No point making it useless for both parties.

On a serious note, this is how stop-gap solutions will end up.
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Old 22nd May 2013, 20:35   #1745
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It's so simple to point a finger at someone and tell them they are wrong isn't it.

come on guys..let's appreciate the cops for what they have tried with limited resources and the super imposing powers..
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Old 23rd May 2013, 10:36   #1746
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Another chicane pops up on OMR this morning - the positioning of this one got to be the best of them all on OMR!!
This new chicane [thankfully not the sand-filled drums kind but the simpler drag-long rectangular stands] has been placed right after the SRP Tools junction towards Tidel Park.
Basically traffic coming from TPKM halts at the SRP Tools junction. As the signal turns green, you start inching forward, cross the junction and theres the chicane!!!
You have barely slotted into 2nd gear as you reach the chicane - completely pointless.
I mean this positioning has to be the most ridiculous of them all.
Pedestrian crossing [with zebra strips] is 10 steps from it - why on earth would you need a chicane?
Traffic is barely at 10-20kmph having started off from the signal - again, why on earth would you need a chicane?

I understand people on this thread trying to appreciate what cops do with limited resources and all....but this latest placement really got me!!
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Old 23rd May 2013, 11:40   #1747
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

There is only so much a cop can do. He is toothless and powerless. The moment one is stopped he puts pressure using his contacts. The shame less higher ups calling the lowest level cops to not disturb his friend or relative is the worst kind of activity one can indulge in...


Having said that, the only option the cops have to control and divert some of these nonsense drivers and riders is to disturb the majority of other proper, rule abiding drivers.

The rule abiding drivers are the ones without a support or back bone and want to just get from Point A to Point B without being bothered. Its not that they dont care about society, its just that they have other priorities in life than worry about the politician or the powerful bad driver.

To me the good samaritans are sacrificing their patience for idiots and fools who are not supposed to drive or ride and who cannot care about rules and regulations.
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Old 23rd May 2013, 14:37   #1748
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by headers
let's appreciate the cops for what they have tried with limited resources and the super imposing powers..
Agree. The cops have done what they could in the interest of saving pedestrian lives. But now that it is clearly not working, there should be a search for alternatives that could work. On a road where huge amount of revenue is collected on a daily basis via toll, it should not be difficult to provide pedestrian subways at places where pedestrians need to cross over. Not only would it be safe, but also provide respite from the sun/elements - unlike the current walkovers where people have to climb high and down in the sun. And vehicular traffic need not be disturbed either.

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Another chicane pops up on OMR this morning - the positioning of this one got to be the best of them all on OMR!!
Nope, that distinction would go to the new one in Guindy. Yesterday night while returning from work, I get on the Kathipara flyover from airport side and descend down to go towards Kasi theatre. There is an MTC bus in front of me and with the aid of gravity, the car is doing some decent speed. As we get down to level ground, the bus suddenly takes a sharp turn to the left, which I assume would be to stop at the upcoming bus stop. But once the bus have moved away from my front, I am suddenly facing a metal-barricade placed bang in the centre of the road. Option is to either take a sudden left as the bus did or take a sharp right around the barricade, to avoid hitting it. Quick look in all the mirrors and I follow the bus.

Since this is just before Olympia signal, where anyway all traffic has to stop, I fail to see the need for this dangerous obstruction that can take traffic coming down from the flyover by surprise.
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Old 23rd May 2013, 14:56   #1749
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by Shiv_1984 View Post
We have 2 rubber speed breakers right inside our office just after the entry gate. How much ever slow you negotiate them, they make you feel their presence in every way possible.

Wonder if a "Go Slow" works in India or not. If yes, why do they really resort to something like this. Brutal !!!
That's because the regular ones are elliptical and these rubber ones are circular. There is no smooth enter and exit on these circular ones. I hate them.
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Old 23rd May 2013, 15:25   #1750
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That's because the regular ones are elliptical and these rubber ones are circular. There is no smooth enter and exit on these circular ones. I hate them.
That's why they are also called as "Back Breakers".
There was an article the other day about them and the goverment is gonna install them all over the city !
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Old 24th May 2013, 17:37   #1751
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Agree. The cops have done what they could in the interest of saving pedestrian lives. But now that it is clearly not working, there should be a search for alternatives that could work. On a road where huge amount of revenue is collected on a daily basis via toll, it should not be difficult to provide pedestrian subways at places where pedestrians need to cross over. Not only would it be safe, but also provide respite from the sun/elements - unlike the current walkovers where people have to climb high and down in the sun. And vehicular traffic need not be disturbed either.
The subways installed in various parts of the city do not function as expected -

The morons do not even use the pedestrian overhead bridges already available, so what can one expect from them?

hence the only way is to penalize the motorists..and even the motorists complain
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Old 25th May 2013, 20:55   #1752
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

Recently I traveled on the OMR from Navalur to Anna Nagar after nearly 6 months. Its only then I had realised the pain cause by these so called chicanes and barriers. I still dont understand why they collect the toll, only to put the law-abiding motorist to untoward hardship. The others meander and intimidate their way across everything be it 2 wheelers, 4 wheelers, Cabs, LCVs, lorries (tipper, sewages, brick laden), office buses or the MTC Volvos. Its causing more confusion than helping to solve.

I had taken the By-pass -> Vandalur / Kelambam to reach Navalur, and was better but for the irregular lumps of tar.
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Old 27th May 2013, 18:09   #1753
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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Originally Posted by headers
The subways installed in various parts of the city do not function as expected.
I believe ChennaiCorpn has cleaned-up/cleared-up many subways in the city that were unusable earlier due to either bad-lighting or anti-social elements or water-logging etc. For example, earlier the subway at Chennai Central was unusable for various reasons. But now it is used heavily reducing jaywalking on P.H.Road to a great extent - I use it twice a week, so know from personal experience.

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Originally Posted by headers
The morons do not even use the pedestrian overhead bridges already available, so what can one expect from them? Hence the only way is to penalize the motorists..and even the motorists complain
The irony in your above 2 statements is too obvious to ignore.
You deplore the moronic behaviour of pedestrians which is the cause of the problem at hand. And then you say the only way out is to penalise the motorists and then you are frustrated that the motorists complain. What else do you expect when you penalise X for the fault of Y ? Akin to what would be the reaction if TNRDC increases the toll on OMR citing the reason as loss of revenue due to political-types (in white Scorpio with party flag) not paying toll.

There is another angle to this whole thing. Since the OMR is a relatively new road, the private infrastructure coming up on both sides is of recent style and most of it is in line with what you can see/expect in any big city of the world. Once the service lanes are sorted out (a miracle needed) and walkways cleared of encroachments, this will be a world-class road that the city can be proud of. Since this road has IT/ITES organisations on it, it will have many visitors (other states/countries) and imagine how out of place these crude traffic-barriers, beat-up drums, spilt dirt etc would look in an otherwise classy setting ? That's an image beating the city can avoid by opting for another way out.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 27th May 2013 at 18:11.
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Old 27th May 2013, 19:21   #1754
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

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And then you say the only way out is to penalise the motorists and then you are frustrated that the motorists complain.
Biju - This whole point of beating chennai is pointless and thats why I said lets look at it constructively.

If you take things personally, too bad, but do not vent your frustration on the keyboard
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Old 27th May 2013, 20:09   #1755
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re: Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

No one is "beating Chennai" as you seem to assume everytime. On the contrary, people would like to avoid the city getting a bad name.

Regarding "looking at it constructively", there were many suggestions posted here (speed guns, subways, etc) about how the end could be achieved in a different way than how it is now.
But other than supporting the chicanes, I don't remember seeing any constructive suggestion from you.
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