Bangalore-Chennai : Driving time 3hrs:45mts

ram2004 · 11th January 2009, 19:36

This is not about speed driving. This is about driving when favorable conditions are available to the driver in good measure. On Saturday 10 Jan, with the truckers strike and sizeable number of vehicles off the road for want of gas, I left Bangalore at 4:00am (Marthahalli Flyover) via Vartur-Sharjapur-Attibelle-Hosur-Krishanagiri-Vellore-Chennai along the GQ, and lo behold….. to my utter surprise arrived at Chennai (Kathipara Flyover) at 7:45 am – it was indeed the most satisfying driving experience. There were no trucks trying to outdo each other at 40kmph and you trailing them behind with some frustrated honking, no zig-zag overtaking between trucks buses and mini vans, no mopeds/tractors with one light coming at you from the opposite direction, no bullocks/sheeps trying to cross the GQ, no kids trying to challenge the oncoming vehicles by crossing over, no share-autos driving on the speed lane…..the road was all for a handful of spirited drivers treating themselves to the occassion. If I break-down the driving time, it took me an hour to reach the toll-booth at Krishnagiri, short of 2 hours from there to reach Kanchipuram and then to Guindy. It was at 120kph all the way – the difference again was the steady state speed.

I do the Chennai-Blr sector almost once or twice in a month – but yesterday was a rare event. I know I have to provide another 2 hours more for this sector everytime – for I have no option but to respect the vagaries of driving in our Highways. Car Driven: Tata Safari Exi (Petrol-4x4)…the one which took me from Chennai to Leh is still in ship-shape condition!

rshiv · 11th January 2009, 20:56

Bingo ! Great miss. It was my plan to drive this Sat to Chennai and I full tanked in Shell on Friday itself. I did estimated the pleasure of driving without the trucks and other commercial vehicles but some how I couldn't make it for other reasons. I can imagine how it would have been for you that time !

hrag · 11th January 2009, 21:28

Fantastic, ram2004. I can absolutely relate to this. Your time ties in completely with my best of 4 hours 15 minutes from Hebbal (15 minutes from Marathahalli) to Thiruvanmiyur (15 minutes from Kathipara) in favourable conditions and not exceeding 120 kph at all.

mjothi · 11th January 2009, 22:08

Great time.
I came from chennai today and I too noticed it. There was no literally no traffic. I started @2pm from Ponamalle and reached Hosur BP @ 5:30 which includes 2 breaks each of almost 15min. Not sure of others, but this was my best time.

Should I thank the lorry stirke + fuel shortage issues? Not sure.

hvkumar · 11th January 2009, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

[b] Car Driven: Tata Safari Exi (Petrol-4x4)…the one which took me from Chennai to Leh is still in ship-shape condition!

Ram, good to see you active. Agree entirely with you - timing makes all the difference - brain, not brawn, they always say!

Am curious, what mileage did you get on this drive?

hvkumar · 11th January 2009, 22:57

....and my best time is a slow 4 h 20 m from Arumbakkam to Krishnarajapuram, but that was in 2002 on the old 2-lane NH4 via Chitoor, leaving early at 425 am from Madras and reaching Bangalore at 845 am.

1100D · 11th January 2009, 23:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

There were no trucks trying to outdo each other at 40kmph and you trailing them behind with some frustrated honking, no zig-zag overtaking between trucks buses and mini vans, no mopeds/tractors with one light coming at you from the opposite direction, no bullocks/sheeps trying to cross the GQ, no kids trying to challenge the oncoming vehicles by crossing over, no share-autos driving on the speed lane…..

Generally the start time you mentioned, always ensures a road devoid of these factors (in bold). The absence of the trucks was what was different.

However on our part of the world the additional element is sudden appearance of Fog, going from full visibility to zero in a matter of seconds.

csentil · 12th January 2009, 01:01

I can totally relate to that feeling of driving on empty roads and driving between Chennai - Bangalore peacefully having done the same umpteen times.

The most troublesome sectors time wise is:
Bangalore - Hosur (too much traffic, now road work),
Vellore - Ranipet (too many wrong side driving, generally a bit crowded and too many crossings even though its a six lane from Vellore till somewhere near Ratnagiri)
Kanchipuram - Chennai (sand lorry traffic, industries, gets worse from Sriperumbadur)

Probably the best time I did was like hvkumar said on the NH4 (Chitoor route). Left Chennai (Vadapalani) at 1 pm and reached Koramangala at 5.10 pm. My dad had a fit when I called to tell him I'd reached home. Well that was Sep 2003 when traffic in K.R.Puram/Indiranagar was not that great.

Next best was on 26th Dec 2004 (Tsunami day) Bangalore - Chennai. Start 7 am - reached Mount Road 11.30 including a breakfast break and fog till Hoskote.

I doubt whether one can do those kind of times nowadays unless we have a truckers strike or we are generally insane

(And on a personal note that's 1000 posts!!! Yupeeeee)

ram2004 · 12th January 2009, 07:30

HVK,

Just checked today morning (after a refill) - and was in for another surprise - my mileage reached around 11.50kmpl as against a normal 10kmpl. (Pls remember that I am atuned to my lower mileage of the Petrol Safari - but I have derived other compensating benefits - thats another story anyway!).

But the point to reckon is that once you have free roads, less gear changes, interruption free driving, your mileage will get better, the car will perform optimally and you will reach faster and safer. One day, your vision of breakfast at Blore-dine at Mumbai will come true for the average driver!
cheers
Ram
Chennai

Blue Thunder · 12th January 2009, 09:50

Wonderful trip time , ram2004 .

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

...no zig-zag overtaking between trucks buses and mini vans, no mopeds/tractors with one light coming at you from the opposite direction, ..no share-autos driving on the speed lane..

The temporary lack of fuel was definitely the reason that there were not many mini-vans/mopeds/tractors/share-autos, as you mentioned. It definitely must have been a relaxed drive all along.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

...Car Driven: Tata Safari Exi (Petrol-4x4)…the one which took me from Chennai to Leh is still in ship-shape condition!

Please do put up an ownership review of your Petrol Safari 4x4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

...and was in for another surprise - my mileage reached around 11.50kmpl as against a normal 10kmpl...

That is pretty impressive mileage...even the normal figure that you mentioned, 10 kmpl is quite good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram2004

....But the point to reckon is that once you have free roads, less gear changes, interruption free driving, your mileage will get better, the car will perform optimally and you will reach faster and safer. One day, your vision of breakfast at Blore-dine at Mumbai will come true for the average driver!

I am also hopeful that such a day is not very far off.

pypkmsrikanth · 12th January 2009, 10:28

I remember once I was going to Coimbatore from Bangalore, I started at 6 in the morning from Bangalore and reached Salem in 3 hours after taking a breakfast break at Dharmapuri. It was done during a lorry strike. This time was done when I had not exceeded 85 kmph at most times. Thats the difference a lorry strike could make.

mjothi · 12th January 2009, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

... Thats the difference a lorry strike could make.

Especially the ghat sections where the lorries going in 41kmph overtakes the one in 40kmph there by blocking the whole traffic behind them

unni.ak · 12th January 2009, 10:57

Might be slightly OT here, still, I had a very simillar experience on 8th Jan '09 when returning to Bangalore from Alleppey (Kerala). Its a distance of 612kms from my home in Alleppey to Madiwala, which I covered in 9hrs and 20mins. There were dispersed comfort-breaks of about 15mins and a 20min breakfast break. I was surprised to see myself at Madiwala by 12 noon, having left at 2:40am from Alleppey.

Without truck traffic it was such a breeze to drive. Leaving early in the morning (or rather night!!!) helped matters along.

Jammy70 · 12th January 2009, 11:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

I remember once I was going to Coimbatore from Bangalore, I started at 6 in the morning from Bangalore and reached Salem in 3 hours after taking a breakfast break at Dharmapuri. It was done during a lorry strike. This time was done when I had not exceeded 85 kmph at most times. Thats the difference a lorry strike could make.

Hi srikanth,

This could be the norm now with the 4-lane work 90% complete. I did a trip to Yercaud on 27th Dec. Left HSR L'out at 11.15am and was in Salem at 2.45pm, including a one hour lunch break at A2B, Thoppur - a total driving time of 2hr 30m, the best I have clocked on this sector. On our return, left Salem around 2.50pm after lunch and was at Attibele by 5.00 (HSR by 6.00pm) including 20-odd minutes break. My speeds were in the 85-100kph range and I had taken the Sarjapur route to avoid the E-city traffic. For the record, the entire run (including 90-odd km of driving around the Yercaud ghat section) returned 12.85kmpl for my Scorp.

kuttapan · 13th January 2009, 00:20

Most often than not, steady speeds are the key - especially when there are too many slow moving things on the road, which makes you brake every now and then from your 140+ cruising speeds.

The krishnagiri - Sriperumbudur stretch, though, favours people who are willing to pay Russian Roulette - Travelling times are drastically cut down, the more you put pedal to metal.

11th January 2009, 19:36	#1
ram2004 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 38 Thanked: 11 Times	Bangalore-Chennai : Driving time 3hrs:45mts This is not about speed driving. This is about driving when favorable conditions are available to the driver in good measure. On Saturday 10 Jan, with the truckers strike and sizeable number of vehicles off the road for want of gas, I left Bangalore at 4:00am (Marthahalli Flyover) via Vartur-Sharjapur-Attibelle-Hosur-Krishanagiri-Vellore-Chennai along the GQ, and lo behold….. to my utter surprise arrived at Chennai (Kathipara Flyover) at 7:45 am – it was indeed the most satisfying driving experience. There were no trucks trying to outdo each other at 40kmph and you trailing them behind with some frustrated honking, no zig-zag overtaking between trucks buses and mini vans, no mopeds/tractors with one light coming at you from the opposite direction, no bullocks/sheeps trying to cross the GQ, no kids trying to challenge the oncoming vehicles by crossing over, no share-autos driving on the speed lane…..the road was all for a handful of spirited drivers treating themselves to the occassion. If I break-down the driving time, it took me an hour to reach the toll-booth at Krishnagiri, short of 2 hours from there to reach Kanchipuram and then to Guindy. It was at 120kph all the way – the difference again was the steady state speed. I do the Chennai-Blr sector almost once or twice in a month – but yesterday was a rare event. I know I have to provide another 2 hours more for this sector everytime – for I have no option but to respect the vagaries of driving in our Highways. Car Driven: Tata Safari Exi (Petrol-4x4)…the one which took me from Chennai to Leh is still in ship-shape condition!
	(1) Thanks

11th January 2009, 20:56	#2
rshiv BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 39 Thanked: 3 Times	Bingo ! Great miss. It was my plan to drive this Sat to Chennai and I full tanked in Shell on Friday itself. I did estimated the pleasure of driving without the trucks and other commercial vehicles but some how I couldn't make it for other reasons. I can imagine how it would have been for you that time !
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 21:28	#3
hrag BANNED Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bangalore / Madras Posts: 1,982 Thanked: 31 Times	Fantastic, ram2004. I can absolutely relate to this. Your time ties in completely with my best of 4 hours 15 minutes from Hebbal (15 minutes from Marathahalli) to Thiruvanmiyur (15 minutes from Kathipara) in favourable conditions and not exceeding 120 kph at all.
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 22:08	#4
mjothi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,287 Thanked: 231 Times View My Garage	Great time. I came from chennai today and I too noticed it. There was no literally no traffic. I started @2pm from Ponamalle and reached Hosur BP @ 5:30 which includes 2 breaks each of almost 15min. Not sure of others, but this was my best time. Should I thank the lorry stirke + fuel shortage issues? Not sure.
	() Thanks

11th January 2009, 22:57	#6
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	....and my best time is a slow 4 h 20 m from Arumbakkam to Krishnarajapuram, but that was in 2002 on the old 2-lane NH4 via Chitoor, leaving early at 425 am from Madras and reaching Bangalore at 845 am.
	() Thanks

12th January 2009, 01:01	#8
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	I can totally relate to that feeling of driving on empty roads and driving between Chennai - Bangalore peacefully having done the same umpteen times. The most troublesome sectors time wise is: Bangalore - Hosur (too much traffic, now road work), Vellore - Ranipet (too many wrong side driving, generally a bit crowded and too many crossings even though its a six lane from Vellore till somewhere near Ratnagiri) Kanchipuram - Chennai (sand lorry traffic, industries, gets worse from Sriperumbadur) Probably the best time I did was like hvkumar said on the NH4 (Chitoor route). Left Chennai (Vadapalani) at 1 pm and reached Koramangala at 5.10 pm. My dad had a fit when I called to tell him I'd reached home. Well that was Sep 2003 when traffic in K.R.Puram/Indiranagar was not that great. Next best was on 26th Dec 2004 (Tsunami day) Bangalore - Chennai. Start 7 am - reached Mount Road 11.30 including a breakfast break and fog till Hoskote. I doubt whether one can do those kind of times nowadays unless we have a truckers strike or we are generally insane (And on a personal note that's 1000 posts!!! Yupeeeee)
	() Thanks

12th January 2009, 07:30	#9
ram2004 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 38 Thanked: 11 Times	Mileage HVK, Just checked today morning (after a refill) - and was in for another surprise - my mileage reached around 11.50kmpl as against a normal 10kmpl. (Pls remember that I am atuned to my lower mileage of the Petrol Safari - but I have derived other compensating benefits - thats another story anyway!). But the point to reckon is that once you have free roads, less gear changes, interruption free driving, your mileage will get better, the car will perform optimally and you will reach faster and safer. One day, your vision of breakfast at Blore-dine at Mumbai will come true for the average driver! cheers Ram Chennai
	() Thanks

12th January 2009, 10:28	#11
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 283 Times View My Garage	I remember once I was going to Coimbatore from Bangalore, I started at 6 in the morning from Bangalore and reached Salem in 3 hours after taking a breakfast break at Dharmapuri. It was done during a lorry strike. This time was done when I had not exceeded 85 kmph at most times. Thats the difference a lorry strike could make.
	() Thanks

12th January 2009, 10:57	#13
unni.ak BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 777 Thanked: 84 Times View My Garage	Might be slightly OT here, still, I had a very simillar experience on 8th Jan '09 when returning to Bangalore from Alleppey (Kerala). Its a distance of 612kms from my home in Alleppey to Madiwala, which I covered in 9hrs and 20mins. There were dispersed comfort-breaks of about 15mins and a 20min breakfast break. I was surprised to see myself at Madiwala by 12 noon, having left at 2:40am from Alleppey. Without truck traffic it was such a breeze to drive. Leaving early in the morning (or rather night!!!) helped matters along.
	() Thanks

13th January 2009, 00:20	#15
kuttapan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 22 Times View My Garage	Most often than not, steady speeds are the key - especially when there are too many slow moving things on the road, which makes you brake every now and then from your 140+ cruising speeds. The krishnagiri - Sriperumbudur stretch, though, favours people who are willing to pay Russian Roulette - Travelling times are drastically cut down, the more you put pedal to metal.
	() Thanks