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-   -   Traffic and life on the roads in Chennai (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/68789-traffic-life-roads-chennai-210.html)

Yes and No :) Here are some points I can say from growing up and living here:

There has more automotive manufacturing related development around Madras than IT. Even in IT, the number of companies in Madras are significantly lesser than Bangalore. The automotive companies and their suppliers are a full 40 km out.

Areas around GST (Tambaram and beyond), OMR, Mount Poonamalee Road, Poonamalee-Sriperumbudur NH4 even GNT have become messier with commercial (industries and IT parks) and associated residential development happening. So if you have to enter/exit town, you'll still hear people complaining.

The older areas are relatively untouched, except for shopping malls where there are local jams. For example: Pallavaram Saravana Stores, Vadapalani Forum Mall

Madras had traffic in Mount Road, Inner Ring Road, PH Road, even back in the 80s. These roads have since widened and related areas have almost saturated. For example: It used to take 30-45 mins from T. Nagar to Tambaram in the 80s, its not significantly different now. Beyond Tambaram to Chengalpattu is a different story.

Intercity buses got moved from Esplanade, Fort Station and Whannels Road to Koyambedu in early 2000s. I remember this happened in late 2000s in Bangalore, even then they do not significantly avoid city traffic. Chennai bypass ensure the mess was relocated to Perungulathur.

Train network existed since British days and continued to be patronized. Sadly except for the Park to Velachery line, nothing new has been done. Metro work is a full 4-5 decades late.

Higher bus usage

I have moved to Chennai from Hyderabad in May 2018 and mostly travel, live on OMR road and very less frequently go beyond Thiruvanmiyur because I work in Siruseri area. My opinion so far on Chennai traffic based on these:

1. Felt that the majority of road users are aggressive when I compare with Hyderabad. Majority of bikers - educated/uneducated don’t ever care and drive as they wish. (this is seen in Hyderabad also, but I found more people doing it here). At Siruseri traffic signal, many bikers with MNC Id cards, laptop bags do not have the patience to wait for the green but jump the red signal.
2. Pedestrians don’t make use of the foot over bridges on OMR but still jump from 2 to 3 feet height dividers forcing the vehicles travelling at good speeds for sudden stops and maneuvers. I always see empty foot over bridges and people crossing right below it instead of using it.
3. 9 out of 10 Innovas/Scorpios/Endeavors and other big SUVs with party flags are always in a rush, aggressive and tend to cut, squeeze through small spaces, bullying other vehicles on roads. I was once waiting at Siruseri toll towards Navalur and one Innova with a party flag behind me was continuously honking. Other than waiting at a toll gate in a queue, what am I supposed to do !!? (I told my wife not even to turn back and blink an eye. Who knows if 3 or 4 guys get down and start arguing. Have read multiple articles on Team BHP on road rages)
4. The most irritating part – LEDs at the ends of bike handle, blinking green/red LEDs somewhere near the silencer hitting directly into the eyes. I wonder is this a flight to warn its presence? I thought - why this stupidity in Chennai only, but on my recent visit to Hyderabad realized that it’s a trend probably catching up all over. Someone, please enlighten me why this is happening.

Couple of internet links regarding light pollution for reference:
https://india.mongabay.com/2019/01/l...n-india-study/
https://www.business-standard.com/ar...0300415_1.html

Note: Sorry for the long post.

I have a confession to make and feeling guilty of it since 24th March.

I went out to get some essential groceries at Heritage super market, Padur at around morning 10 AM. Completed the purchase and was taking my car out from parking which was behind a parked Maruti Celerio (parallel parking).

There is a divider and a U-turn immediately from where I have parked my car. I was slowing inching forward to right side – towards the U-turn and taking my car out of parking (speed < 5 KM) and was concentrating on clear road by looking into driver side rear view mirror when I suddenly felt that the car is scratching something on passenger side. My car’s passenger door was rubbing against the rear bumper of celerio.

I don’t know what I was thinking – nothing was running in my mind, I simply reversed back a little, completed the u-turn and proceeded further. It then dawned upon my mind that it was my mistake, took a U–turn again and reached the spot in less than 5 mins. I wanted to apologize to the car owner and ready to bear the expenses if there is any damage to the bumper.

Sadly, was not able to find the car. Went till the next junction, did not find the car and returned home. From my dashboard camera, noted the car registration number, checked the details on vahan website and see that the vehicle is registered in Menambakkam RTO and Ambattur RTO as well with 2 different owner names. All other details like insurance etc were same. There were no details of the address.

Please suggest me if I can do anything else to contact the owner based on the registration number. His car’s bumper may have scratches or dent.

Note: My car has scratches on passenger side.

Confession noted. But there is nothing you can do now to alleviate the situation. Move on.
A small scratch and/or a small dent won't send the owner of the Celerio to poor house.

Ironically for a city that wakes up much earlier than the other metros, there are very limited (apart from the roadside) places that open up early (5 am - 6 am) for breakfast.

Atleast in Mumbai, Matunga was a sure place to get food early morning itself. Any similar pointers for Chennai? I went searching across Mylapore a few days back; nothing had food ready till 6:45ish; although most restaurants were open, but 'nothing was ready'

I found the ticket vending counters placed very close with just enough space for me to squeeze my car in at the Chennai airport. Any car less than 1800 mm width it may be okay, but above one needs to be careful.

After many many years, Cenotaph Road now has a right turn onto Mount Road (effective Sunday). This happened within days after the divider work was complete on Teynampet-Nandanam stretch of Mount Road.

South Boag Road is a pain in the rear every evening with election rallies everyday. Avoid this stretch until the elections are over.

First time was flagged down in Mooparappan street for election check this morning. Let me through no questions asked seeing my 4 year old in school uniform in the rear seat.

Though I am almost never awake early enough to look for breakfast that early, a safe bet would be hotel coffee shops.. Many of them are open round the clock. A quick google search might point you to one with decent reviews.

Also I have had that idli, vada, and sambar at the Dadar TT circle many a times, not because I had woken up at those ungodly hours. But because I was still awake from the previous night. lol:

I had the same thoughts on breakfast between 5 to 7. I stay near Siruseri and even at 7 AM, they are still in the process of getting the food prepared. I may have to wait for about 20 or 30 mins to get something to eat.

Couple of times, roadside carts also were ready only by 6.45 or 7 but not before that

I thought, since I stay away from the city this is the case but found the same pattern on my early runs to airport/railway station.

Thanks for that! I have been to airport & railway station at very early hours and returned home before 7 AM. Was able to find coffee shops open with masala/medhu wada as a breakfast option and nothing else on OMR road. Probably should search in google next time instead of slowly driving and looking around if something is open agree:

You're most welcome. :)
I had shared a link with ninjatallI over pm. .
I guess it will serve a better purpose being here on the thread it self. .

https://www.zomato.com/chennai/breakfast?open=0500

This move has been reverted (possibly on Sunday). In the one week, the Cenotaph Road route was consistently slower than the Mount Road route every time.

Around Todd Hunter Nagar junction, those going towards Guindy will have one proper lane less to accomodate the extra lane to turn right. The earlier barricades are now replaced with proper cement dividers.

This is going to be Chennai vs Hyderabad war now!! :Frustrati

Coincidentally I find all the points same in Hyderabad too!!

Ditto at Hyderabad; have witnessed this in front of Microsoft office where people run across the road rather than using the elevated over bridge for crossing

Forget Innova & Scorps...even Indica cabbies do this. We also have a very famous thread here where a small kid drove his electric play car & was spotted by traffic police

When we vote for mindless people who know how to loot our money for every breath we take, more things await to happen, this is not even the beginning!!

Final verdict - Hyderabad or Chennai or Jaipur or Delhi or Kanpur or Allahabad or Patna or Kolkatta situations are all the same everywhere. Unless head in top of the line amend their ways, nothing else will change at bottom. Very hardly we can change the lives of a few around us, but the majority still remains a big threat to all of us

You are probably right. It could be the same behavior we see across many cities across India. We can say only the superlatives I guess, based on population - Bad, Worse, Worst

Maybe I am more noticing them now than before and being very mindful of my surroundings after being addicted to Team-BHP since more than an year, even though I was regularly following it, but not on a daily basis.

Now whenever I visit Hyderabad, I see that the traffic increased when I compare it with the routes I was taking in 2014 and the face of the city also changed with Metro running across it.

To the attention of Nissan Sunny driver with a Team-BHP sticker and registration# TN-09 XX 9XXX (sorry, forgot the reg. number which I tried to memorize) :

If you are a real member of this forum, hope you see this message.

You are oblivious on the road or just being plain ignorant of how lanes and lane changes work. After I let 3 cars to merge from a lane which was ending into my lane, you came up at speed from beyond those cars, jutted into my lane without any indicator, almost hit me and forced me into the next lane which was thankfully only occupied by a two wheeler at that instance. You really need to respect others on the road and go back to basics and understand how lane changes, zipper merges and giving way works. Thanks!

Not quite on the road, but wife is catching 6am train from Central tomorrow morning. I heard that there is enhanced security, but does anyone know if that is slowing down people getting into the station?