[arjithin]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

Just last week i drove on the Rayakottai-hosur road. For more details kindly go through this link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-pleasure.html

I experimented with quite a number of new routes.

This thread is not existing in the forum. I plan to take this route in another 3 hrs of time.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by arjithin

This thread is not existing in the forum. I plan to take this route in another 3 hrs of time.

Here is the link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...-pleasure.html

[Anoopscv]

Originally Posted by bejoy

Also take care not to miss the NH47 turn off.
http://goo.gl/maps/WzA0R

Check this post for pictures.

Thanks a lot for taking me to the road pics. This is my first drive towards Salem-Erode-Palakkad, hope GPS will direct me well enough and will ask wify to keep an eye on the signboards.

[arjithin]

Drove to chalakudy from HSR layout y'day evening. Start at 430 pm and reached home by 1.40 AM.
Route taken was Hosur - Rayalkottai - dharmapuri - omallur - Sankari bypass - cbe - plkd - chalakudy.

Rayalkottai route is ok. Patchy sections here and there. Average speed of 52 km.

Omallur - Sankari was having heavy truck traffic. Occasionally patchy. Average speed was 44 kmph.

There is a road diversion ( read: dead end at a 120 kmph zone) right at the end of Chengalapalli bypass, which could be nasty if you don't pay attention or if you have a truck in front blocking this diversion. Watch out for this one.

[PatienceWins]

Any idea about the road condition from Chalakudi to Valparai?

I am planning to ride to Valparai while coming from my native, Aluva, to Bangalore. Any suggestions on the route and stay/ food options are welcome. Thanks

[ampere]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Any idea about the road condition from Chalakudi to Valparai?

I am planning to ride to Valparai while coming from my native, Aluva, to Bangalore. Any suggestions on the route and stay/ food options are welcome. Thanks

There are rarely any hotels in Valparai. Mostly tea estate bungalows around that location. Expect rough roads around Valparai till Sholayar. And beyond its pretty decent as you descend via the hairpins toward Aliyar.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Any idea about the road condition from Chalakudi to Valparai?

I am planning to ride to Valparai while coming from my native, Aluva, to Bangalore. Any suggestions on the route and stay/ food options are welcome. Thanks

Route is good enough for a bike.There is hotel green hill and krishna inn which are strictly budget options
www.mistycreekvalparai.com is a very basic home stay option at valparai.



Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by arjithin

Rayalkottai route is ok. Patchy sections here and there. Average speed of 52 km.

Omallur - Sankari was having heavy truck traffic. Occasionally patchy. Average speed was 44 kmph.

Was the rayakottai road that bad. Couple of weeks back i travelled on this route. The road was spot on with many sections relaid.

[ampere]

An average speed of 52 for SH is actually quite good I would say. That alone says quite good things about the SH. Yes the roads may be bad at locations, but if one can extract a 50+ average speed, its quite good.

[silversteed]

7 more interceptors to keep vigil on roads



Seven interceptors, each priced Rs.25 lakh, procured by the Motor Vehicles Department to check speeding, rash and negligent driving, drunk driving and haphazard parking, were launched on Wednesday.

The off-white and blue all-weather interceptor is equipped with roof-mounted surveillance camera, digital video recorder and playback equipment, breathalyser, laptop, printer, siren, and microphone. The laser gun, installed in the rear of the vehicle, can trace the number plate from 200 metre away during daytime, and 80 metre at night. It can be made operational when the vehicle is running and stationary. The GPS module will help record the exact place of checking.

The surveillance camera can be tilted 360 degrees and has video mode.

The digital video recorder has playback facility with back-up. The breathalyser in passive/screening mode can find whether the motorist is drunk. If the first test is positive, the active test, by blowing through the straw pipe, will be done to know the exact level of alcohol content.

The printer installed is wireless and can give digital prints, which will have the name of the motorist, driving licence number, vehicle number, place, signature of the driver and the officer.

The seven vehicles were handed over to the Deputy Transport Commissioner, South Zone, Thiruvananthapuram, Regional Transport Officers of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Muvattupuzha, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Kasaragod for deployment in their jurisdiction.

The department would soon commence steps to purchase 20 more interceptors so that the entire State could be covered. The gadgets would be mounted in another class of vehicle.

In July 2007, Kerala was one of the six States to get the Rs.22 lakh interceptor free from the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE). As it was found effective, three more were procured by the MVD. These vehicles could book 60 lakh cases and fetch a compounding fee of Rs.7.5 crore to the exchequer. The MVD now has 11 enforcement vehicles.

Source

[coolclouds]

Travelled on NH7/NH47 yesterday. There is a new deviation immediately after toll road ends towards Coimbatore as they dug up for complete relaying.

Almost 95% work is completed till Coimbatore and the humps are well marked except few.

I left L&T exit after 5.30 pm and the traffic till Mannuthy was too high. Most of the places it was very long convoy and overtaking was very difficult. It took at least 30 mins extra against usual 2.5 hours to Kochi.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Travelled on NH7/NH47 yesterday. There is a new deviation immediately after toll road ends towards Coimbatore as they dug up for complete relaying.

Almost 95% work is completed till Coimbatore and the humps are well marked except few.

I left L&T exit after 5.30 pm and the traffic till Mannuthy was too high. Most of the places it was very long convoy and overtaking was very difficult. It took at least 30 mins extra against usual 2.5 hours to Kochi.

How is the road condition at Walayar. Is it as usual patchy or has the road been widened and retarred?

[joecherian]

did a round trip as follows
Chennai - kottayam - cochin -chennai

For onward journey, took the Chennai-Trichy-Dindigul-Kumily route.
Roads till Theni are smooth but after that, lots of bad patches.
Night journeys are getting tough due to unexpected potholes and hence better to plan night journeys such a way that you reach Theni by around 6 AM.
Roads are not that bad though but then the smoothness is not there.

One update on this route is, for those who stay on OMR/ECR and want to travel to south TN , Thiruporur-Chengalpet is the best option to avoid all the madness on GST atleast till Chengalpet.
And now,the icing on the cake is that the railway overbridge at Chengalpet is open, so one more reason to take this route.


For the return trip,took Ekm-Trichur-vadakkancherry-Pollachi-Dharapuram-Karur-Trichy-Chengaplet-OMR

I could have avoided Trichy by taking the deviation at Kulithulai but then thought of having some refreshments and hence took the Trichy route. There is not much difference in distance if you take the Trichy route(10-15 kms max I guess)

Pollachi-Dharapuram-Karur route is a pleasure to drive with no traffic and smooth roads (ofcourse no facilities as well which is a drawback but then if we plan the breaks, this is not really a drawback)

I have my chosen refuelling points whenever I do this trip.

in chennai, shell (OMR) is my default stop .
On GST, there is a BP COCO bunk around 25 kms before Trichy . Next refuelling joint is the BP COCO bunk on sea port airport road in cochin.

For the return journey, usual refuelling point is again the BP COCO at Ulundurpet(around 2-3 kms after the toll booth)

Sticking to these bunks gives me a peace of mind that my ride is not fed any adulterated fuel.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by suresh_gs

How is the road condition at Walayar. Is it as usual patchy or has the road been widened and retarred?

Its the same as earlier.

[pramodpk]

Drove from Bangalore (Whitefield) to Vaikom on April 25th. Started at 1:00 PM and reached at 10:30 PM with total breaks fof 30 mins. Route taken Whitefield - Varthur -Sarjapur - Bagalur - Hosur and continued on NH 7 - NH 47.


Returned yesterday. Started at 5:30 AM from Vaikom and reached at 2:45 PM with total breaks of around 45 mins.

Key points.

1. Bangalore - Coimbatore is almost 4/6 lane end to end. Whitefield to Coimbatore bypass was done in 4.5 hours of driving time ( Distance - 355 KMs).

2. Good progress on the 4 laning of Vadakkencherry - Walayar section

3. Traffic was crawling on the Kuthiran section on both journeys due to slow moving trucks.

4. While coming back, the bypass to the Sarjapur town was blocked. Also, barricades were kept on the Sarjapur police station junction (possibily to prevent heavy vehicles from entering). Hopefully they repair the bypass soon.

5. The revised speed limits in Kerala is a real blessing. Saw the camera flashing twice on an Ecosport who over took me while I was doing 90 KM//H.
Hence the cameras are calibrated to 90 KM/H.

6. The Kochi metro work could create bottlenecks between Aluva and Edapally during peak hours. Luckily, I was driving in Off peak hours

7. Thoppur Ghat was deteriorated and the road has become wavy.