Team-BHP - Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai

This Monday had to visit DB Jain college in Thoraipakkam and so to reach the college I paid INR 54 (including return) just to touchbase the OMR road while coming via 200 ft road from Kamatchi hospital side. It was the expensive 50 meters I drove in my life. :Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy (Post 4430478)

CoolGuy, Next time take the right cut before toll and enter the MCN nagar and just follow a cabie. you will come out near sangeetha on OMR (diagonally opposite to DB Jain) and make a U turn at DB jain signal to enter the college
It works two ways.
54 INR saved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reisender (Post 4431531)

Narrow road known to every single cabbie, share auto, office goer and staff bus. Good luck with getting stuck half an hour fighting jams on that road, which generally happens when some bike scrapes a passing car and both people get off and argue in the middle of the road.

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Originally Posted by hserus (Post 4431719)

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Originally Posted by greenhorn (Post 4431828)

Don't take this route if you're in a tall SUV. There is a metal restrictor bar, and a Scorpio for example can get stuck.

Storm water drainage work is going on in that road and it might take may be another 3 weeks before the work gets completed. I find this route to be much quicker than taking the toll and waiting at the 200 FT road - OMR road signal. I regularly take the bypass road and during peak hours the bypass road is quicker than your toll road but I wouldn't advise taking the bypass road at least for the next 3 weeks. Also as greenhorn says tall SUVs may struggle as there is a metal restrictor bar.

Expect major traffic problems today as the health of Tamil Nadu's former Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, has deteriorated and the hospital has said his vital organs functions are failing. Schools have closed and all police personnel have been asked to report for duty.

If anyone is driving today try to start home early and reach safe. In case there is any announcement made, expect trouble. If you can, leave your car at work and go home by public transport. Keep your safety as the number 1 priority. Stay safe everyone.

It took me 120 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes to get home from Thoraipakkam to Selaiyur. Started at 5 PM and saw a mass of humanity on the roads like I've not seen before in Chennai. Those relying on public transport were hard placed with the strike today, sadly. Phew!

There were intermittent traffic jams allover the city this afternoon. Quite a lot have left home early as a precaution. Took me 40 mins (opposed to usual 20) starting at 415pm. By 5, all except 2 in my office had started home.

I was driving on kodambakkam high Road yesterday evening and suddenly saw a huge crowd running towards the shops. I was a little taken aback. Then realised that they were all running towards the Tasmac shop there. Apparently there was an announcement that it will close shortly and hence the panic!

Tried to take a photo of the line there - sorry for the bad quality of the image. Took it while the car was moving.

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Originally Posted by Gannu_1 (Post 4444779)

Henceforth, only Ola cabs from Chennai airport. Uber can drop the passengers at the airport however.

The Hindu

It's been ages since I've hailed an Ola cab!

When you book an Ola ride from the domestic terminal, make sure you tell him to pick you up opposite to Sangeetha restaurant. Their GPS seems to have some flaw and may direct them to the International terminal. Last week I had to wait longer because of this confusion.

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Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 4444791)

I'm distressed that the Kottivakkam ECR Tasmac has re-opened. Yet again, safety, common sense (and law?) are disregarded.

So true. When the Tasmac was not there, two cars could move side by side, even with the share autos and umpteen motorbikes squeezing in between. Now a days there is always a traffic jam over there in the evenings, and gets worse on the weekends.
And this has also affected the peace on our streets, which is behind the Tasmac. Now, every day evening we have a stream of people heading toward the ECR from the beach side, well dressed and talking decently, and at night this stream returns, flowing in the opposite direction, with their clothes all crumbled up and yelling at each other, and some even talking to the ghosts. :D
Last weekend we had one chap who felt he would have reached home, and lay down to sleep in front of our gate. After an hour or so, our watchman decided that the this guy had enough rest and poured a mug of water on his face. The guy woke up, gave some choicest abuses to our watchman and left the place.