[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by PuntoMania

We can float this across a lot of IT companies and have a big group of people giving us live updates. I think there is a way to tweet without requiring a GPRS connection and by simply using the SMS facility on our phones

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

^^ Thats a good idea PuntoMania.
However, why tweet when we have our own local version of Twitter here, on the forum. His name is @Sajo .
He does give updates as and when they happen and we simply follow his instructions and act accordingly!

Originally Posted by sajo

On another note, I think I am going to start using company provided bus service for transport. As of now I kept postponing it to "next month" , but it will save me thousands in unwarranted expenses and a lot of headache.

Swanand, time to get a back up plan ready!
With all these traffic issues reported I will have to seriously rethink before accepting any job in HJW area!

[sajo]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Swanand, time to get a back up plan ready!
With all these traffic issues reported I will have to seriously rethink before accepting any job in HJW area!

C'mon dude, it is not that bad.You can come really early and leave really late, and your commute time will be even less than that in the city.

Apparently, the PMPML authorities have asked for a certain number of guaranteed ticket sales everyday, before they can start an AC bus service to Hinjewadi.
That can be easily be achieved by say, doing the following :
- Industries buy a certain amount of PMPML passes.
- Setup counters inside campuses so that interested employees can buy a daily/weekly/monthly pass as per their interest.
- The indicative number of passes can be bought initially by having an internal poll or something on the company's portal.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sajo

C'mon dude, it is not that bad.You can come really early and leave really late, and your commute time will be even less than that in the city.

Apparently, the PMPML authorities have asked for a certain number of guaranteed ticket sales everyday, before they can start an AC bus service to Hinjewadi.

Currently I am beating city traffic by coming in really late and leaving really early. Sometimes I also finish errands on my to/ fro routes. Now if you were in my shoes, which one would you prefer?

Another perk I have is I am right next to my college, so even the tapri guys know me well

As for the guaranteed ticket sales, perhaps the companies can issue passes as against giving the conveyance amount or renting out cabs?
A dedicated BRT lane would certainly perk up ticket sales a lot too

[sajo]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

A dedicated BRT lane would certainly perk up ticket sales a lot too

Somehow, seeing the earlier implementations in Hadapsar and Katraj, I am not a big fan of the BRTS system as implemented by PMC.
A dedicated bus lane within Hinjewadi road would lead to a bigger mess than it is currently.

[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by sajo

Somehow, seeing the earlier implementations in Hadapsar and Katraj, I am not a big fan of the BRTS system as implemented by PMC.
A dedicated bus lane within Hinjewadi road would lead to a bigger mess than it is currently.

+1. Dedicated bus lanes can only happen in Hinjewadi when there is a 8 lane road (i must be dreaming).

I am willing to give the AC buses a try. Depends on the frequency and the cost of the monthly pass. When is this proposal supposed to be implemented?

[sajo]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Depends on the frequency and the cost of the monthly pass. When is this proposal supposed to be implemented?

Wishlist :
- Frequency should be high, like 1 per hour to and fro from highly populated areas during peak hours (morning 8 AM to 11AM) and evening 5pm to 8pm. That should take care of the "flexibility" part, a reason which many motorists give when asked about bringing individual vehicles.
- Shouldnt cost more than 1500 rupees for a monthly pass.
- Should be implemented like, immediately. But knowing PMC, it could be between now and "forever".

[jealousdiamond]

Originally Posted by sajo

Apparently, the PMPML authorities have asked for a certain number of guaranteed ticket sales everyday, before they can start an AC bus service to Hinjewadi.
That can be easily be achieved by say, doing the following :
- Industries buy a certain amount of PMPML passes.
- Setup counters inside campuses so that interested employees can buy a daily/weekly/monthly pass as per their interest.
- The indicative number of passes can be bought initially by having an internal poll or something on the company's portal.

Oh Boy , well put up !!

Originally Posted by selfdrive

As for the guaranteed ticket sales, perhaps the companies can issue passes as against giving the conveyance amount or renting out cabs?
A dedicated BRT lane would certainly perk up ticket sales a lot too

Are you dreaming don't

Originally Posted by sajo

A dedicated bus lane within Hinjewadi road would lead to a bigger mess than it is currently.

Educated morons / james bonds are there in Hinjewadi to rip it off .

Originally Posted by amitwlele

When is this proposal supposed to be implemented?

It just might be take an era to do that in Hinjewadi .

Originally Posted by sajo

Wishlist :
- Frequency should be high, like 1 per hour to and fro from highly populated areas during peak hours (morning 8 AM to 11AM) and evening 5pm to 8pm. That should take care of the "flexibility" part, a reason which many motorists give when asked about bringing individual vehicles.
- Shouldnt cost more than 1500 rupees for a monthly pass.
- Should be implemented like, immediately. But knowing PMC, it could be between now and "forever".

I second that its a forever option

[sajo]

A couple of articles on HJW in the media today.

Kothrud-Hinjewadi bus service resumes

Pune: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has once again started its bus services between Kothrud and Hinjewadi, after having stopped it over a month ago stating poor response from commuters as the reason. ...........
The bus service was started in the third week of March and stopped on May 10. PMPML’s traffic manager Sunil Gawli told TOI that although the response to the bus service continues to be poor, it has been decided that the service will continue. “We are hoping that people will become aware of it.”
According to Gawli, the buses make 12 trips per day on the route (number 98) from Kothrud to Hinjewadi (phase III). The first bus leaves from Kothrud stand at 7.15am and reaches Hinjewadi phase III at 8.20am. The buses consecutively leave at 9.25am, 12.25pm, 3pm, 5.20pm and 8.20pm. The buses go via Vanaz corner, Kothrud depot, Chandni chowk, Aditya group, Shivtara Mangal Karyalaya, Shivaji stadium, Hinjewadi octroi post, Wipro, Infosys phase II, Tata Motors and Kumar circle, phase III and back.

Stupid timings, IMHO, for returns. 5.20pm is too early, 8.20 PM too late. Still, some people might be interested.


Another article, in today's TOI.

Bad roads and garbage hit Hinjewadi


Traffic Jams, Pothole-Ridden Roads Make Travelling Dangerous, Say IT Professionals

Dipannita Das TNN

Pune: Over 70,000 professionals working in the IT park at Hinjewadi have to battle the pothole-ridden approach roads to this software hub. With the rains worsening the situation, traffic jams have become a common sight, especially during peak hours.
The approach roads from Aundh, Baner and Wakad are under construction in parts.
In monsoon, commuters face a hard time travelling to Hinjewadi.
To make the matters worse, the garbage that are dumped by the side of the roads get scattered, making it more filthy during the downpour.
At the main Chhatrapati Shivaji chowk, the roads are filled with potholes and the manholes are either partially open or broken. The signal has not been working since the couple of months.
In Hinjewadi phase II, drainage lines overflow during heavy downpur.
Shyam Ohar, who runs a shop at the main chowk, says the spot is accident prone. “The drainage system is very bad and the manholes open up due to waterlogging posing a threat to the commuters”, he said.
Another resident, Prasad Deshmukh, says, “During office hours, people go for diversions and take the narrow lanes to avoid the traffic on the main roads. Most of these lanes pass through residential areas, disturbing the peace.”
Rohit Agarwal, a software professional who works in Hinjewadi, points out that travelling to Hinjewadi is a big problem because of the narrow approach roads. “The approach roads from Kalewadi Phata, Jagtap dairy and Dange chowk are the worse. Traffic moves slowly due to construction works. During rains, the potholes become invisible hence dangerous, particularly for cyclists and two-wheeler riders”, says Agarwal adding “The bypass flyover that connects Wakad and Hinjewadi cannot take much traffic from Kothrud, Wakad and Baner during peak hours. Very often people are seen driving on the wrong side.”
Dattatreya Ramchandra Sakre, sarpanch, Hinjewadi, said the main problcm is traffic. Many shops were demolished for road widening. Even schoolchildren face traffic problems. The other issue is garbage problem. The area is now expanded and people are crowding the place. This has added to the garbage disposal problem. It seems there will be a meeting soon to discuss on all these issues, he says.
Mritunjays Singh, president, Hinjewadi Industries Association, observes, “The problem lies in the approach roads from Aundh, Baner and Pune-Mumbai highway, which are under construction. The situation becomes worse when it rains.”
“Hinjewadi comes under multiple agencies, such as the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and gram panchayat. It is a big challenge before us to bring these agencies together and address the issues”, Singh says.
There are 70,000 IT professionals in Hinjewadi and around 5,000-10,000 supporting staff. “We are working with the traffic department, government and other agencies to come up with an infrastructure plan that can solve the traffic woes, too,’’ Singh adds.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sajo

Stupid timings, IMHO, for returns. 5.20pm is too early, 8.20 PM too late. Still, some people might be interested.

I agree, perhaps they should have some discussions with offices to understand the timings.
Should there not be a bus reaching HJW around 9:30am for those in the general shift?
While leaving the 5:20 bus is bound to be empty. The first bus should start only around 6pm; but then it will get caught in peak traffic.

The idea should be to offer these services during peak traffic. I dont see the point in running buses during off peak hours such as 7am, noon or 3pm

[mmxylorider]

PMPML should offer more frequent services on the highway, say Wakad to Kothrud and back. Options from the highway to HJW are already there if one does not mind congested tumtum or auto rides. Will provide the flexibility as well as relative comfort on major part of the commute.

[sajo]

^^ Dunno if this is the right place, but auto drivers (not tumtums) charge an exhorbitant 100+ bucks (depending upon mood) for the ride from Wakad Bridge (wakad side) to the PH1 chowk.

[noopster]

@sajo- are you kidding me? If I charged that much for every guy I picked up from that chowk I'd have a nice alternative source of income!

The going rate for the "dynamic car pool" from Phase 2 to Wakad flyover is 10/- Of course on the rare occasion I pick someone up I never accept anything.

[paragsachania]

^^ This is True!! In Feb 2010, I paid Rs.80 from Phase 2 Circle to Phase 1 (Wipro). Then I checked with the rest of my colleagues who told me it is the "correct" fare. It also also happened that if we were 2 unknown passengers, each one has to shell out Rs.40.

This is common problem in "IT Hubs" in any city. For instance, In Electronics City in Bangalore, its Rs 10/person for a ride from main gate till Wipro Gate 5 for a mere 1.9 Kms. If one hires the rick, its Rs.40.

[sajo]

For those still in office, now is not really the right time to leave. Can see heavy traffic on the Hinjewadi main road as well as the Mezza9 route, although there are no stoppages. But traffic is really slow moving. Better start off after half an hour or so.
Back to Angry Birds then.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Originally Posted by sajo

For those still in office, now is not really the right time to leave. Can see heavy traffic on the Hinjewadi main road as well as the Mezza9 route, although there are no stoppages. But traffic is really slow moving. Better start off after half an hour or so.
Back to Angry Birds then.

@PuntoMania: See what I mean about live updates!

Ojas: "Back to Angry birds"? Lol.

O.T: PM me your office id, shall send a super amazing game!