[anachronix]

Thankfully, one of my friend who's office is in Karimuthu Center called me and gave an alert about the traffic situation. I usually commute via T.Nagar to go towards Saidapet and then to OMR. I took the route via Cenatoph road and then to Kotturpuram to OMR. The traffic was blocked badly on the other side of the road though, I could move fast enough from Cenatoph road.

[partha379]

Started from Vadapalani at 9.30 in the morning and reached Adyar at 1.30. First got stuck in CIT nagar for an hour, then came back all the way to 100ft road and reached Kathipara just to get stuck there for another hour. Had breakfast and snacks in the car itself, most of the people stuck with me were doing the same.

I can understand that road-rokos happen without notice, but traffic police could have done a better job to try and minimise the mess. Things like spreading proper info through radio, stopping/diverting traffic away from the hot spots etc would have helped.

At the Kathipara junction they could have prevented people going towards Guindy and asked them to take a diversion or return back. Without proper info, people kept going hoping things would ease off. Everyone kept piling on and traffic just kept getting worse and in the middle you had people trying to turn back in a hap-hazard manner. For e.g I was able to warn a friend who was coming in GST towards Kathipara to take another route - he took the GST-Velachery route and bypassed the jam.

Anyways it was a pretty bad start, only good thing is that I was waiting next to a S-class :-).

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by DWind

Atleast in OMR the barricades do the job *in the night*.

I am not sure what purpose these barricades serve. Other than causing accidents and slowing down traffic on a city-highway which was originally planned to make traffic movement faster.

If the cops want to check speed/rash driving at night, they could erect checkposts and stop and check vehicles. Dont see a reason to put steel barricades at odd places, taking motorists by surprise and in some cases causing accidents too - when coupled with bad road-lighting.

If the intention is to slow down traffic at some spots for people to cross across the road, what for then is the foot-over bridge ?

If the intention is to slow down traffic (for no valid reason), why make wide roads like the 6-lane OMR ?

BTW, Kerala police seem to have gone one ahead when it comes to barricades. They put this stuff on the NH47.

[getsriram]

The barricades are irritating truly. It takes people who try to overtake a truck / bus by surprise (especially when it turns slightly to avoid the barricades). Add to that there are no reflectors in most of these impediments.

It creates unnecessary tension between drivers, when one person takes a casual turn to avoid the barricades and the person travelling on his left is caught by surprise. scolding, mean looks,...

I am against barricades and mind you pedestrians do not cross only in these places alone, they cross all over OMR where ever they need to cross them.

[callvvijay]

I don't know if I can post this in this thread as it is not related to traffic in Chennai.

You would be well aware of the fleecing done by our dearmost autowalahs. And there is nothing done by the govt. to stop this.
Now, in my situation - I get down at the Mylapore MRTS station and come to office which is at Dr.R.K.Salai (next to Music Academy) and any autowalah ask for not less than Rs.35/- for this short distance - (less than 2kms).
For the past few days, I have started walking to my office from the station as the climate is pretty good or ask for lift from bikers. Only a very few bikers stop by when asked for a lift.

My question is
1. Why are bikers so hesitant in giving lift?
2. Will you be ready to give lift for a loner who is walking in the same direction as you are riding your bike (not car, mind you!!. I know people including myself generally have the fear factor when giving lift in car)
3. If not, why?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Wow, I don't take autos these days, I take my Swift but my wife does, when travelling without me, and it seems that Rs35 is hardly enough to get an auto driver moving these days! When I estimate auto fares, she tells me I am living in the past --- when Abhiramapuram to Royapettah used to cost me Rs30!

She also tells me stories about bikers giving lifts and having their bikes and cash stolen. These may be as much urban myths as the stories about axes and knives that abound in UK, but I guess that people still listen to stories.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by callvvijay

I don't know if I can post this in this thread as it is not related to traffic in Chennai.

You would be well aware of the fleecing done by our dearmost autowalahs. And there is nothing done by the govt. to stop this.
Now, in my situation - I get down at the Mylapore MRTS station and come to office which is at Dr.R.K.Salai (next to Music Academy) and any autowalah ask for not less than Rs.35/- for this short distance - (less than 2kms).
For the past few days, I have started walking to my office from the station as the climate is pretty good or ask for lift from bikers. Only a very few bikers stop by when asked for a lift.

My question is
1. Why are bikers so hesitant in giving lift?
2. Will you be ready to give lift for a loner who is walking in the same direction as you are riding your bike (not car, mind you!!. I know people including myself generally have the fear factor when giving lift in car)
3. If not, why?

About a decade ago there were news reports (urban legends?) of two wheeler guys giving lift to strangers, feeling a pin-prick en route but thinking nothing of it, only to reach home and find a needle sticking to their dress with a tag reading "welcome to the hiv club"! May be true, may be not, but a lot of people turned wary of picking up strangers.

A biker will desist from picking up a stranger for the same reason you hesitate to pick-up someone in your car - because you are a stranger! I do give a lift to strangers sometimes - but only if there is no other go and it may endanger him / her otherwise.

Talking of minimum fare, come to the suburbs and see. In my area (Chromepet) I pay Rs 30.00 for reaching home from the rly station, a distance of 1.2 KM. But most areas there will fall within the 3 KM mark from the station. If the driver engages the meter, he will always run on minimum fare, which he will be loathe to do.

[callvvijay]

@Gansan: I am from Nanganallur and we pay the same Rs.30/- for 0.8kms as the autowalahs have made it an unwritten rule.

My point is:
1. I am quite neatly dressed (hopefully!!!) and by the look on one's face, you can at least estimate his genuineness.
2. Mylapore MRTS to Dr.R.K.Salai is a high traffic area.

And I forgot to say that I got lifts from 2 blessed souls today (Amrutanjan to Oliver road turning and Vivekananda to R.K.Salai) in this route after thumbing atleast 15-20 bikers.

@Thad: I too use my Alto. But these days with the heavy traffic to cross Guindy and Saidapet, I prefer coming by train unless I have other tasks to club on my way to or from office.

I have always made it a point to give lift to people in my bike for as long as I can remember - provided the area in quite non-remote/not-isolated. When it comes to cars, it is totally a different ball game as anything could happen within the car.

[Gansan]

A stranger is a stranger, one can't rely on looks alone. I never expect a lift from strangers - I will take an auto or walk it, even if it is 3 KM. Ask for no lift, and give after due discretion , is my policy as far as strangers are concerned!

[DWind]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I am not sure what purpose these barricades serve. Other than causing accidents and slowing down traffic on a city-highway which was originally planned to make traffic movement faster.

SB! Have you ever tried to cross the OMR from a side road during the night (after 9 PM) when driving. I do it and appreciate the barricades because it allows me to cross or atleast lets the cabbies/busses to slow down and take notice of me while I cross over. Please note that after 9 PM nobody follows the signal. At 10 the signals are switched to flashing amber. If not for these barricade there could be more accidents. I can understand that they serve no purpose during rushhour. The barricades are there for the only reason that we obey a traffic signal only when there is a policeman lurking around

[jeevmenon]

DWind: OMR is not for jay-walking. We dont pay Rs. 35 for nothing daily. Whoever takes that Rs 35- makes the overbridges to cross from one side to the other at signals. I pay 45 for 150 km on ECR (which is sort of ok) but pay 35 for 1 km on OMR. Give me something for that money, Dwind and you are not helping me the least by crossing that. Do you jump over that median? No. So then you are crossing it at the signals. Let them make the overbridge at the signals. I have seen barricades in the middle of nowhere. Ironically there are barricades on the ECR as well. If one has to go at 40 kmph why at all go? Might as well be at home.

[DWind]

jeev Menon! I guess you did not read my post properly.
I mean crossing using my car. I leave my office very late in the night (beyond 9 PM) and I find these barricades (opposite the aavin dairy in Sholinganallur) extremely useful in helping me to cross the road. You will be surprised to know that even two-wheelers do not slow down for you inspite of you waving your hand, putting your indicators to let them know you want to cross across. And yes I have to wait for atleast 5-10 mins to cross over.
After 12 Midnight I have seen some exotic cars using the stretch beyond Sholinganallur doing some serious speeds. I would want barricades only from 9 PM to 6 AM. Beyond that it is not required.

[jeevmenon]

Fair enough, Dwind. Apologies for jumping the gun. But somehow the share-taxi, vehicles in opposite direction, people walking all around is all too chaotic as I see.

[DWind]

Another thought! It has been more than 2 years now that OMR has started being a tolled road. But in these 2 years there has been no improvement done on the roads. The state is still the same. I was wondering if there can some way for all the companies in the area to protest against the toll fees. I dont feel the toll is of any worth as
1. No promise of three laned road. The third lane is not usable.
2. No bus bays. This makes the road to become a single lane.
3. No access control. Anybody on any other means(walk- biped or quadraped, cycle, motorised 2 and four wheeler) can join and exit OMR anywhere. And there are six (TIDEL, SRP, Lifeline, Thoraipakkam, Kannagi Nagar, Sholinganallur) major signals.
4. No proper road. The road connecting Medavakkam to Sholinganallur is not usable for atleast 2 days in a year (All MTC buses cancelled)

why pay toll?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by callvvijay

@Thad: I too use my Alto. But these days with the heavy traffic to cross Guindy and Saidapet, I prefer coming by train unless I have other tasks to club on my way to or from office.

Good for you: you re doing the right thing by taking the train, and also by getting more exercise!

In UK, I used to make a point of giving people lifts, on long trips, but not in the city. I even picked up a homeless tramp, one freezing cold evening, who was desperate to reach the next town to seek shelter. He didn't smell too good, but I never felt any risk, and sent him on his way with a little cash and a full packet of tobacco. However, I guess that falling levels of mutual trust there eventually took their toll on me too.