[Rocky_Balboa]

Originally Posted by aargee

Which way did you take? You should probably consider taking Mogappair-Ambattur-Nolumbur-Maduravoyal route to avoid the traffic at Anna nagar.

Alternative would be Mogappair-Golden Eagle theatre-NH4

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

Best is to go up to Ambattur Estate from Tirumangalam and then from there join the Chennai Byepass. No point going all they way to Koyambedu to join NH4. One more easy alternative is to take the Padikuppam road (left at Park Road Jn.) and join NH4 just after the Market entrance.

Thanks Guys, I drive via Maduravoyal-Koyambedu-Thirumangalam route to reach Villivakkam.

Isnt the Ambattur route as congested as the koyambedu-maduravoyal route? If not ill give it a try next time, hope i can find where exactly to turn for Thirumangalam on that route.

Edit: Park Road Inn? where is this buddy?

[Reisender]

Guys,

To add to the existing issues, have you all noticed that these auto's TATA ace occupying right most lane on relative free road at not more 40kmph.
They wont give way even if you honk or flash, hence forcing you to overtake from left. (I hate this type of driving)

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Reisender

Guys,

To add to the existing issues, have you all noticed that these auto's TATA ace occupying right most lane on relative free road at not more 40kmph.
They wont give way even if you honk or flash, hence forcing you to overtake from left. (I hate this type of driving)

It's not just them, every Tom, Dick and Harry here (with a very few exceptions of good drivers), particularly the MTC drivers, think the right most lane is reserved for them. Never seen any MTC bus doing anything but cutting across from a bus stop to the right most lane at right angles.

Read in the paper yesterday that the some top Police official himself has initiated a drive to "sensitize" MTC drivers on good driving practices. God knows how much of it goes into their heads

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

Thanks Guys, I drive via Maduravoyal-Koyambedu-Thirumangalam route to reach Villivakkam.

Isnt the Ambattur route as congested as the koyambedu-maduravoyal route? If not ill give it a try next time, hope i can find where exactly to turn for Thirumangalam on that route.

Edit: Park Road Inn? where is this buddy?

Since you are going to Villivakkam I suggest you take this route. Go over the flyover continue down towards Lucas and beyond. Once you reach the Ambattur Estate Jn. which is about couple of hundred meters after the Shell pump on your left, take a left at this Jn. Take the 2nd right while you proceed on this road (after Kun Hyundai on the right) continue until you reach the Byepass which runs over the estate road. Take a left here and you would reach Maduravayol Jn. without any deviations.

You could also take a right at Thirumangalam Jn. At the time you are mentioning the estate road should not be bad. Park Road Jn. is the first traffic signal Jn once you take the right at Thirumangalam Jn. towards Ambattur estate road.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

Isnt the Ambattur route as congested as the koyambedu-maduravoyal route?

Not much as the roads are even wider & Thanks to the new flyover; when it is completed, driving would be a breeze.

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

Edit: Park Road Inn? where is this buddy?

Is this a road or are you asking about Radha Park Inn?

Here's the map for your convenience, let me know if you need clarification
A is the place where you start from Villivakkam, which is Nathamuni theatre.



You can opt to take the blue one or the red one; blue goes via Anna Nagar west, Thirumangalam, Mogappair, Ambattur, Nolumbur & Maduravoyal. At Maduravoyal bridge, do not forget to take left & get towards Bangalore. If I'm not wrong, this is the second left.

Red one goes via Padi, Ambattur Estate & connects to Nolumbur. Also there's an option to take a right cut at Ambattur Estate bus depot, go to Vavin & take a right & go towards Nolumbur.

The magenta one may be avoided because you need to take a U turn at Tirumangalam.

The green one is the best choice as the traffic would be comparitively less during non school hours.

1. stands for Ambattur Telephone exchange
2. for Cars India workshop
3. for Anna nagar bus depot
4. Tirumangalam signal
5. Vavin bus stand

Let me know if you need further explanation.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Read in the paper yesterday that the some top Police official himself has initiated a drive to "sensitize" MTC drivers on good driving practices. God knows how much of it goes into their heads

I saw that too. Hopeless...

1. Send them all on proper driving training, and make them pass a test, without which they do not get their jobs back.

2. Make sure the managers also get their training: to set realistic schedules that do not demand dangerous driving.

No hope... eh?

[Mr_Bean]

MTC drivers are the safest drivers around, you folks got to be kidding

When they realize that you are up to their level of driving, they certainly give way.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by silversteed

think the right most lane is reserved for them. Never seen any MTC bus doing anything but cutting across from a bus stop to the right most lane at right angles.

Err...if I'm not wrong, these morons think that the entire Chennai city roads belong to them; they don't have any reservation!!!

Originally Posted by silversteed

Read in the paper yesterday that the some top Police official himself has initiated a drive to "sensitize" MTC drivers on good driving practices. God knows how much of it goes into their heads

Sigh!!! Seen this, heard that!!! nothing's gonna change

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

1. Send them all on proper driving training, and make them pass a test, without which they do not get their jobs back.

Well, the driver training still happens. I'm seeing their training bus almost every month or so at Manapakkam, Porur, Ayyapanthangal roads. Even during the training they're not taught anything on lane discipline, maintaining speed. I once even read in a magazine about a retired driver complaining on how the driver trainings are made easy compared to his times.

Another fact is that these guys have a target on mileage. IIRC, its 4.75 Kmpl; like all other laws, this one is also on the papers.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

2. Make sure the managers also get their training: to set realistic schedules that do not demand dangerous driving.

Well this is really not required. Reason? Any way they don't stick to their schedule & no one bother either

The worst part is that these MTC morons are the ones who taught how to park in the middle of the road & block the traffic. Now every college & private buses are following this religiously. What's even more horrifying is that, they do this even at the morning 6:00 AM when there's no traffic at all!!! This is a clear symptom of the a new, call it attitude, law, behaviour whatever, being developed; and its going to be extremely difficult to get rid of this behaviour.

Like someone in this thread said, everyone wants to point out others mistake & does not take responsible for their own mistakes; and the compound wall of Good Shepherd school reads, "Independence means, being responsible

Update - I spoke to the guys taking survey; they said Govt is proposing to build some bridge (not sure where) & they're taking this stats for 3 days (today being last day). They're noting it down for 24 hours for all the vehicles including bicycle except pedestrians.

PS - One guy said the number of car averages about 40 per 15 minutes!!!

[Rocky_Balboa]

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

Go over the flyover continue down towards Lucas and beyond. Once you reach the Ambattur Estate Jn. which is about couple of hundred meters after the Shell pump on your left, take a left at this Jn. Take the 2nd right while you proceed on this road (after Kun Hyundai on the right) continue until you reach the Byepass which runs over the estate road. Take a left here and you would reach Maduravayol Jn. without any deviations.

Originally Posted by aargee

Not much as the roads are even wider & Thanks to the new flyover; when it is completed, driving would be a breeze.

Is this a road or are you asking about Radha Park Inn?

Here's the map for your convenience, let me know if you need clarification
Let me know if you need further explanation.

I was asking about the Park Inn junction, Srikanth mentioned in his post.
Thanks a bunch Srikanth, and Aargee for the detailed map and info. I owe You one.

[vineetmanghani]

Hey Guys,

Need some route advice. I need to travel from my home in Jayachandran Nagar (This is in Medavakkam, on Velachery Main Road, 500 meters from Medavakkam Junction towards Velachery) to Cenotaph Road everyday.

Till now I have been following the straightforward route, Velachery Road, Velachery 100 ft bypass, Velachery Road, Anna Salai, Chamiers Road and Cenotaph Road. But it takes at least an hour for me to cover these 15 odd kms, and things are especially bad during the evenings. The main bottlenecks either way are Velachery Bus Terminus crossing (where the 100 ft bypass starts), the portion on Velachery Road in front of the Apollo Clinic, the signals at Anna Salai and the single lane Velachery Road in general (average speed of 10-15 km/h throughout the stretch).

As an alternative I tried this route today morning: Velachery Road towards Tambaram, Medavakkam Main Road, SH109, GST, Anna Salai, Chamiers Road and Cenotaph Road. But I got stuck at the railway crossing to join GST from SH109 for 45 minutes, and then congestion at Guindy. It took me more than 90 minutes to reach Cenotaph Road!

Today evening I'm planning to take Cenotaph Road, Tumbulls Road, Gandhi Mandappam Road, Sardar Patel Road, Canal Bank Road, Lattice Bridge Road, OMR, Pallikarannai 100ft road, Velachery Main Road.

Does anyone have a better route in mind which would take lesser time than an hour or so? I leave home at about 8 in the morning, and start back around 6-7 PM in the evening.

Looking forward to some good alternatives.

Thanks in advance,
Vineet

[para_7k]

Originally Posted by vineetmanghani

As an alternative I tried this route today morning: Velachery Road towards Tambaram, Medavakkam Main Road, SH109, GST, Anna Salai, Chamiers Road and Cenotaph Road. But I got stuck at the railway crossing to join GST from SH109 for 45 minutes, and then congestion at Guindy. It took me more than 90 minutes to reach Cenotaph Road!

How did you ever plan this route ? This has to be the Most Round about way. Also from SH109 to GST, there is a limited use subway or a link to Sanatorium near the MCC.

This evening's road you plan would be ideal with a few changes. Why go to LB Road at all ?

Take Cenotaph Road -> Kotturpuram -> Sardar Patel Road, Madhya Kailash Junction, OMR - Tidel Park, OMR Continue, 100 Ft bypass road, Pallikaranai, Medavakkam

The only bottle neck I see here is near the Madhya Kailash Junction.

If you feel that Pallikaranai is congested, go straight on OMR upto sholinganallur and take right at the junction towards Medavakkam.

[aargee]

@Vineet - Any route that you take will be the same during the time you ride/drive. The only option is to change the timing to start little earlier from both office & home. That's the only way by which you can save time.

I used to travel from Avadi to Kandanchavadi during business hours & used to take atleast 2 hours (for 35 Kms); I switched the time & it only takes about 45 minutes now

[silversteed]

I have NO idea if this ever happened, or if the facts are true. Got this as a forwarded e-mail last week:

Hi Friends,
this s dinesh prabu. i thought of sharing a news with u all, which happend yesterday .
yesterday , my room mate s collegues some 5 ppl ( 2 boys and 3 girls) were travelling from tiruvanmiyur to siruseri tcs office in a share auto.
when it was nearing kandanchavadi,the share auto driver took a left turn saying that its so much trafiic. i know a short cut. ll make u ppl reach in ten min like.
they too agreed.
that guy took the auto to a slum lik area and stopped ,where the auto was surrounded by his slum friends and they threatend much.they had a perfect plan to steal money and jewels .

they beat those 2 boys and took their mob and atm cards and made them run.
those 3 girls were forced to give jewels , atm card and pin nos. they were made to wait in the same place ,when one guy went to check the pin no of all the atm cards which they got from all this 5 ppl.

money ,mobile,jewel and atm card s everything got stolen in a simple way.around 1 o clock the news reached office ppl
they trying to find out the person. but ppl are not ready to give complain to police. as it was a salary day yesterday mornin they got lumps of amount.

just learn this alone particularly girls:
1. don wear your office id in outside premises. it takes u to trouble .wear id inside office alone
2. don carry ur atm /debit card which contains salary amount always with u.just have limited cash
3. just don allow share auto pppl 2 use shortcuts. better get down if so.
4.travel with friends
5. use buses, the safest mode of travel to the maximum extent.

just thought of sharing with u all ,so that it wont happen to any of my friends.

My office is in Thoraipakkam, and i know a few who work in Kandhanchavadi, Thoraipakkam, Siruseri and Navalore. But nobody has even heard of it.

However, I'd always advise practising the portions in bold (ignore the grammar)

[aargee]

Even if this were true...

around 1 o clock the news reached office ppl
they trying to find out the person. but ppl are not ready to give complain to police. as it was a salary day yesterday mornin they got lumps of amount

I would ask why they weren't ready to cooperate with cops? Being a slum, it could be easy to spot those guys isn't it? Or may be the gang threatened them against filing a police case?

[Thad E Ginathom]

A driver is going to gamble on the fact that not one out of five people is going to, at least, memorise his number and report to the police? That no one is going to run for it and call help? He is going to stake his livelihood and freedom on that? That much sounds unlikely.

The streets to the left of Kandanchavadi are more industrial than slum. Some of them would be a scary place to be in the dark, but not so much in broad daylight. Yes, there are residential places too, especially when reaching the canal.

Possibly less certain, but one might expect people who travel that way frequently to know what that area is like.

I drive through it regularly, as I live just on the other side of the canal. The worst I have met (so far!) is an unconscious drunk lying in the middle of the road. Literally in the middle: some guy was kind enough to direct me around him!

I also find it unusual that any auto driver would actually ask! So this one gets a thumbs down from me --- but there is nothing wrong with street-wise caution anyway.