[anachronix]

This was yesterday right? I saw some cops around the Tata Ace with the driver/owner around in some negotiation at around 11:45PM. Dont know if its the same Ace though! The bus was also parked on the side.

Originally Posted by Jack Sparrow

What to say for this. Morons driving and blocking the road near IRT, Taramani - Velachery road. Did not look like an accident but all passengers were vacated and no trace of the TATA Ace driver.

[Jack Sparrow]

Originally Posted by anachronix

This was yesterday right?......... The bus was also parked on the side.

This happened at 11:00 AM yesterday and not in the evening. Hope you are referring to it.
My colleague said that the Ace had tried to squeeze into the opening in the middle of the road while the the bus came, but there were no broken parts. Probably I would have missed something while taking the picture...

[Dieseldunk]

Originally Posted by Jack Sparrow

This happened at 11:00 AM yesterday and not in the evening. Hope you are referring to it.
My colleague said that the Ace had tried to squeeze into the opening in the middle of the road while the the bus came, but there were no broken parts. Probably I would have missed something while taking the picture...

OT you sure did. . Didn't you notice both the guys having tea at the stall

[ElantraGT]

In my previous post I mentioned about the new barricades erected in the Medavakkam-Sholinganallur road. Today morning there was an accident in this stretch of road. A guy was lying flat on his face and an ambulance standing right next to it. There was no movement on that guy and the ambulance Trauma care team was doing nothing to revive him.. may be he was already declared dead. It might have happened around 8:30 AM. Looks like the guy had rammed his bike in to the barricade. This happened just out side the Global hospital junction. I didn't have the heart to stop and take a photo. Anyone have any more details on whether the guy survived?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^Feel sorry for the guy. It was bound to happen. And more so because in recent times I have seen that many barricades are not where they were positioned and lying about haphazardly. Couple this with the fact that new ones keep popping at places where you least expect them, even in a car, if you take your eyes off the road for a second or so to tinker with the ICE or a/c, you could ram into them. More dangerous at night. The OMR is scary nowadays with these crappy metal things thrown all over the place.

[supremeBaleno]

Since the PTS (Public Transportation System) is an inevitable part of the Chennai city-scape and often our target due to the rash way in which the buses are driven, it would be in order to point out its strong points here.

I recently moved from the heart of the city (8kms to Central - 10mins by train) to the outskirts (off Sholinganallur - 30kms from Central). The idea was to reduce home-work commute, which indeed it did. But for someone who travels weekly by train, the increased distance from Chennai Central was worrying.

I thought of picking up a cheap commuter bike which I could leave at Central for the weekend. But decided to first try out the PTS & found it to be almost as quick as a bike, very effortless/safe compared to a bike and dirt cheap compared to a bike.

My office is on OMR with a bus-stop bang in front of the gate. I boarded an MTC bus from Thoraipakkam (office) at 3:15PM which drops me at Tidel Park junction in 15mins. All for Rs5.

Cross over to the MRTS station and catch the 3.33PM train which drops me at Park station by 4PM. Again for just Rs5.

From point-to-point that is just 45mins taken to cover a distance of around 20kms, without worrying about traffic, safety etc. All for 10 bucks. A bike might be a few mins faster, but not as safe/comfy. The Chennai PTS is quick, well-spread, with good frequency & seamless. Will get only better once the Metro is done and mono-rail comes up.

Wish-list : Since we are never satisfied , wish they would extend the MRTS from Tiruvanmiyur over the OMR to network the IT corridor. In which case, I can eliminate the bus and just hop onto the MRTS from Thoraipakkam to Park.

Someone said this won't happen as an elevated highway is planned on top of OMR. Fine, maybe have a mono-rail below the elevated highway.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

My office is on OMR with a bus-stop bang in front of the gate...
From point-to-point that is just 45mins taken to cover a distance of around 20kms, without worrying about traffic, safety etc. All for 10 bucks.

I used to travel almost every day from my office in Thoraipakkam (no, I wasn't working for that big name there) to spend time with my sister who was studying in LIBA, Nungambakkam. 50-55min is all it used to take me. 20 minutes to reach Tiruvanmiyur MRTS, 20 minutes to reach Park Town station, 2-3 minutes to walk to Park station, wait for a Fast train and in another 10 minutes I'm in Nungambakkam. All this happening in peak traffic hours.

Chennai's public transport system is one of the best in the country. Very much pocket-friendly and reasonably quick.

wish they would extend the MRTS from Tiruvanmiyur over the OMR to network the IT corridor. In which case, I can eliminate the bus and just hop onto the MRTS from Thoraipakkam to Park.

I echo your sentiments. Used to wonder why they aligned the MRTS line towards Velachery from Taramani, instead of getting it straight along the IT corridor towards Kelambakkam. That way, all those TNSTC & SETC buses from Pondy, Mahabalipuram etc can terminate/start service at Kelambakkam, and reduce the congestion towards CMBT.

[DWind]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

From point-to-point that is just 45mins taken to cover a distance of around 20kms, without worrying about traffic, safety etc. All for 10 bucks. A bike might be a few mins faster, but not as safe/comfy. The Chennai PTS is quick, well-spread, with good frequency & seamless. Will get only better once the Metro is done and mono-rail comes up.

Wish-list : Since we are never satisfied , wish they would extend the MRTS from Tiruvanmiyur over the OMR to network the IT corridor. In which case, I can eliminate the bus and just hop onto the MRTS from Thoraipakkam to Park.

MRTS is the fastest option for travelling and beats any bus / personal transport hands down (except during late hours)
Regarding your wish-list I believe there were plans (on paper atleast) to have a spur line from Perungudi station running parallel to OMR skirting the Pallikarnai Marsh land, connecting to Sholinganallur (near ELCOT SEZ) then onto Navalur, Siruseri all the way to Pondicherry. Wish it would happen soon. All depends on how keen the state government is keen to push this project.
Regarding having the original alignment to Velachery and then on to St. Thomas Mount, since it was planned and implemented in 90s when IT sector was still nascent the planners thought it fit to connect at what they thought would be safer decision for project's success. Nobody would have thought at that time IT and Real Estate on OMR would grow at such a furious pace.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Cross over to the MRTS station and catch the 3.33 PM train which drops me at Park station by 4 PM. Again for just Rs. 5. From point-to-point that is just 45 mins taken to cover a distance of around 20 Kms, without worrying about traffic, safety etc. All for 10 bucks. The Chennai PTS is quick, well-spread, with good frequency & seamless. Will get only better once the Metro is done and mono-rail comes up.

Originally Posted by DWind

MRTS is the fastest option for travelling and beats any bus / personal transport hands down (except during late hours).

Since last December, I've been visiting a Maruti service center in Velachery ( within walkable distance from the Velachery terminus ). Since my home in Chennai is in Kilpauk, I used to depend on the city cabs for transport back from & to the service center.

One one such trip, with some time to burn, I decided to take the MRTS ( to Chetpet ). To say it was 'eye opening' is an understatement ! The whole trip, Velachery to Beach & then to Chetpet costs only Rs. 10 ! Even a cup of road-side coffee costs more I think. The trains aren't too shabby & the journey quite quick - in both directions. The best part is when travelling from Beach to Velachery, at the start, you catch glimpses of the Beach along the way & it's quite a view.

My only wish is that the stations are maintained in a better manner though.

[DWind]

A quick question to im_srini..do you interchange at park-parktown or we allowed to interchange at Fort. Fort should be more convenient no?

[wildsdi5530]

This thread has completely diverted from "traffic and life on the ROAD in chennai" to the train system.
I can understand people returning home on the train or bus, but how about to office. Don't your clothes get sweaty, crumpled and dirty? I've travelled by bus from tenyampet to Kilpauk and though cheap, my white shirt is always ruined and my shoes are in a mess.
In peak hours, you can barely hang on the footboard. Even on trains.

[Raghav_K]

^ +1, even the so called first class is so crowded in the electric trains, there's barely any place to stand. I think from next year hanging along the doors will start in first class too.

Btw i wonder why these MTC bus wallas think they are above the law and skip every red light. Saw a bus skipping a red light full five seconds after the signal red and scaring the hell out off few two wheelers.

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by DWind

A quick question to im_srini...
Do you interchange at park-parktown or we allowed to interchange at Fort.
Fort should be more convenient no ?

Hi D,
I don't think Park & Park-Town share platforms, so an interchange is not easy.
That said, I remember reading in the papers, a couple of months ago, that the Railways are planning to build a pedestrian walkway between the stations.
Yes, the Fort station makes for a convenient interchange, however it's easier to guarantee a "window seat" if you start the journey at the terminus ( Beach ).

[raghu.t.k]

Originally Posted by DWind

....Regarding your wish-list I believe there were plans (on paper atleast) to have a spur line from Perungudi station running parallel to OMR skirting the Pallikarnai Marsh land, connecting to Sholinganallur (near ELCOT SEZ) then onto Navalur, Siruseri all the way to Pondicherry. Wish it would happen soon. All depends on how keen the state government is keen to push this project.
....

I hope someone dusts the plan and gives it a new life. A similar line on the ECR would also have a lot of the pvt vehicles and company buses off the road. Driving on OMR or ECR is a real nightmare during peak hours.

Also I think the cattle need to be cleared from the "Toll Road" rather than allowing it to rest where it likes. Some foot bridges with escalators could help the pedestrians to cross safely without having to endanger the road users with the barricades of different sizes/numbers.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by im_srini

My only wish is that the stations are maintained in a better manner though.

Indeed the stations could be better maintained. Also I wonder what was in their mind when they built such big MRTS stations, with 95% of it currently empty/unused (planning for the future?). They could also do with some boards indicating where the ticket counter is, where to take the escalator to platform etc.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

I can understand people returning home on the train or bus, but how about to office. Don't your clothes get sweaty, crumpled and dirty?

Depends on lots of factors like commute-distance, route, bus frequency, presence of educational institutions on the route etc etc. Long ago, I used to take the electric train to work (Nungambakkam - Tambaram) and it was pretty decent. Before that used to take the 47 series from Mehta Nagar to Adyar and depending on the time of day, could be messy or ok. Used to leave a bit earlier to beat the rush.

Originally Posted by im_srini

I remember reading in the papers, a couple of months ago, that the Railways are planning to build a pedestrian walkway between the stations.

All that traffic chaos at Central signal due to pedestrians crossing at their whim could be avoided if they planned and implemented a pedestrian walkway linking the 2 park stations, Chennai Central and Chennai suburban. Infact remember mentioning this in this thread itself. BTW I recently saw an elevated pathway on the Central station side - possibly part of the setup you mentioned. If so, that would be good for both pedestrians and the motorists who have to dodge scores of people on the road.