[carzone]

Just like the whole of pot-hole ridden Mumbai, The Dahisar flyover, just before the Toll plaza is getting a coat of the paver-blocks. Since months this flyover had only the rightmost lane usable while the other two were full of potholes. Only the two-wheelers who could manage to dodge the potholes and the public transport vehicles who are least bothered about the comfort used to attempt driving over those craters. This led to huge jams before the Toll during peak hours.

I happened to pass by that road yesterday, and it was nice to see that the work has begun, but then, it was the paver blocks, which would again come apart in a week's time. The two lanes are now blocked, keeping only one lane operational for traffic, again creating jams. It took me 20 minutes just to cross the stretch of the flyover.

All these happening just before where we pay the authorities so that they can maintain the roads. Can't we have a rule where authorities are not allowed to collect toll until the roads are in a proper shape, just like it was implemented in arey some time ago?

Daylight robbery this is.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by carzone

The Dahisar flyover, just before the Toll plaza is getting a coat of the paver-blocks. Can't we have a rule where authorities are not allowed to collect toll until the roads are in a proper shape, just like it was implemented in arey some time ago?

Hello,

This fly-over just before Dahisar toll plaza (if you are leaving Mumbai) & just after Dahisar toll plaza (if you are entering Mumbai) is in bad shape since last one year. After driving through very well maintained NH-8 this fly-over is a reality check for drivers warning them about what kind of roads to expect ahead in Mumbai.

As far as Aarey is concerned, the roads become off-roading track every year in monsoon (I am witnessing this since last four monsoons). Post monsoon towards October end a local political party protests & stops collection of toll for one day. Only then the authoroties wake-up & re-lay the Aarey road. I have seen this action as a regular event year after year, everyyear. The probable reason for this protest is because the Aarey toll does not go to government but goes to a private party. While all the other tolls in Mumbai (check nakas) go to government cofors, thus how can political parties protest because the toll money ultimately goes to them.

Thanks,

[amit]

Everyone, including the media, is talking about the measures being taken to fill pot holes and the testing of various technologies (cold mix is the latest) to fill them up. The message we get is that pot holes are bound to develop and the various agencies looking after Mumbai's so called roads are doing their best to fight against these pesky pot holes to keep our lives comfortable. What the media should be asking the agencies is why pot holes are developing in the first place? India is not the only country in the world building roads or having heavy vehicles being driven over them. In fact, heavy vehicles in some countries can make our trucks look like puny hatchbacks and yet those countries have smooth, pot hole free roads.

It's funny to listen to talks of technologies being tested to ensure pot hole free roads. Building smooth roads is not some rocket science that a so called economic super power is not able to master. Our roads are no better then the ones we will find in Afghanistan or Somalia. If this has'nt shamed our politicians I don't know what will. Even the chief of the party in charge of the BMC uses these roads. Even the CM uses these roads. Don't they feel ashamed of what they have done to this city?

[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by amit

Everyone, including the media, is talking.....It's funny to listen to talks of technologies being tested to ensure pot hole free roads.

Dear Amit sir,
I concur to your thoughts whole-heartedly. The public and the media especially are not asking the right questions, and therefore are being fed with wrong answers.

Sometimes, I wonder if the auto companies are hand in glove with the contractors..


Anyways, I would like to further add 2 points to warn anyone who is planning a trip to bombay in the near future. The road in question is the Western Express Highway (or as i call it, Old Wild West):

1. In addition to the dahisar flyover near the toll naka, the flyover at Times of India (while going to bandra) has HUGE potholes. DO NOT drive in 1st lane here. Keep to 2nd lane initially, and then 3rd lane as you go towards the top.

2. The entry of the flyover at Oberoi mall, goregaon (while going to bandra), is laden with potholes. Be careful.

I can go on and describe almost all the potholes at every stretch on this highway, BUT the above 2 places are the most dangerous. Rest all are still in their infancy.

Thanks,

Drive safe,

Simple_car

[yogibear007]

Originally Posted by amit

Even the chief of the party in charge of the BMC uses these roads. Even the CM uses these roads. Don't they feel ashamed of what they have done to this city?

I doubt the party chiefs or the CM uses these stretches that are being talked here. They travel by air. Don't remember how many times the CM has taken the 'Suman Nagar', 'Sion Overbridge', 'Chheda nagar' stretches on the eastern express way or the 'Oberoi', 'Milan subway', 'Chakala', 'Airport Junction' stretches on the Western side. Even on the few occasions that they do take trouble to travel by these roads, it's in the plushest of the cars with entire road stretch freed for them. So no point in taking into account their experiences while discussing this. Probably the reason why South Mumbai's roads are good is because these people travel by road in these parts.
It does not really take a genius to figure out the common spots & the remedies on main arterial roads where the monsoon takes it's toll and causes the traffic to snarl up. But the established methodology seems to be, let the monsoon be over and then we will repair it less it happens again. We probably need the britishers here again to bring some resemblance of planning into all these things.

[EagleEye]

Yesterday I encountered a very very strange thing.
Around 4 pm I reached the beginning of Andheri bridge towards south. It was jam packed with vehicles moving literally at snail's pace, and it took me a whole 40 minutes to get across. :O

Got to the other side and saw, they had actually cordoned off more than half the road to repair the huge potholes!!! I was left banging my head on the steering wheel , why couldn't those morons do it early in the morning like 2 or 3 am which would have avoided wasting the time of so many people??!

[yogibear007]

Originally Posted by EagleEye

Got to the other side and saw, they had actually cordoned off more than half the road to repair the huge potholes!!! I was left banging my head on the steering wheel , why couldn't those morons do it early in the morning like 2 or 3 am which would have avoided wasting the time of so many people??!

Ditto with the flyover at Thane toll naka on Mulund side. The bridge was getting a fresh coat of tar strips and for these, the related articles like furnace, wood for fuel, drums were lying there on the bridge for more than a month causing the traffic to go slow right in the morning while going to office. Think of the timings and the number of days it takes to get things worked on. I'm sure the fuel wasted at all these spots costs far far more than the repair themselves.
On the lighter note, I seem to have acquired a strange calm in my driving manners due to these inevitable disruptions & frustrations and seem to have improved my networking with co-travelers in my car pool. Due to more time taken at these spots, we end up chatting/sharing about day to day things more often rather than just reading the papers or answering mails on the BBs .

[carzone]

Originally Posted by EagleEye

Got to the other side and saw, they had actually cordoned off more than half the road to repair the huge potholes!!! I was left banging my head on the steering wheel , why couldn't those morons do it early in the morning like 2 or 3 am which would have avoided wasting the time of so many people??!

That is EXACTLY what happened on the Dahisar flyover just before the toll. I happened to pass around 8PM and saw no work in progress, but the construction material kept the two lanes occupied leaving only one free for the vehicles.
End result, the same as you had to face.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by yogibear007

Even on the few occasions that they do take trouble to travel by these roads, it's in the plushest of the cars with entire road stretch freed for them. So no point in taking into account their experiences while discussing this. Probably the reason why South Mumbai's roads are good is because these people travel by road in these parts.

The ministers use Honda Citys, and the CM a Safari. That's on official duty though. So yes they can feel all the potholes and terrible roads, they probably don't care.

South Mumbai's roads are good? You need to come this side then man, look at Marine Drive and Peddar road, we can't even call them roads anymore.

[yogibear007]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The ministers use Honda Citys, and the CM a Safari. That's on official duty though. So yes they can feel all the potholes and terrible roads, they probably don't care.

South Mumbai's roads are good? You need to come this side then man, look at Marine Drive and Peddar road, we can't even call them roads anymore.

Boy'o boy. With due respect Akshay, It's a news that the official vehicles of the ministers and CM is the likes of Honda City and Safari. May be because we never see too many ministers and CM on this side of the city. The marine drive is 'bad' ?? You got to visit us in the suburbs for sure. It sure will freshen up the image of the roads with their historical perspectives. Peddar road I agree but for different reasons, not the potholes. We live on the side of the town where we have 'pothole-traffic-toll-pothole-traffic-toll' as a way of daily travel in monsoon. Give and take some of them in different variations.
But in the gist, kudos to all mumbaikers or for that matter the 'Indians' all over India to get over this every year, year after year without a change. After all, there needs to be a common binding thread to identify all and what can be better than this .

[ghodlur]

A caution note.

People travelling from EE highway towards Powai please be extra careful while crossing the Kanjurmarg flyover esp where the flyover ends. There's a drainage where a couple of steel strips have come off dangerously protruding outside and may sure shot hit the car bottom if not driven carefully. This strip is on the extreme right lane. Keep on the extreme left once you get on the flyover. Also keep an extra watch over the huge potholes on the middle lane somewhere at the middle of the flyover. Saw today morning a car bouncing off the potholes and steering dangerously towards other lanes.

[Gotham_City]

Damn, this sounds so real!

http://www.fakingnews.firstpost.com/...hree-monsoons/

I always felt that the system incentivizes poorly built roads. A washed away road allows various bodies to sanction budget every year to relay them. Good for everyone - contractor (who gives a poorly built road for the price he is paid), local politicians (who get a 'cut' for pushing favored contractors) and officers in Municipal corporation (whose palms are greased every time there is a tender). This mutually cosy arrangement has just one loser - commuter.

Spent 2.5 Hours on road for a 30 minutes drive on W E Highway, that too, at 7 AM in morning.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by Gotham_City

Spent 2.5 Hours on road for a 30 minutes drive on W E Highway, that too, at 7 AM in morning.

Hello Gotham_City,

Yes the authorities not interested in finding a permanent solution to bad roads. This is mainly because yearly maintenance contracts ensures a steady income to many in power.

Regarding traffic built up today morning on Western Express Highway - it was due two incidents:
1. An accident between a truck & Auto at Pathan Wadi (between Times of India Flyover & Oberoi Fly-over)
2. A mulfuntioned truck on Oberoi fly-over.

Infact cars passing from Kandivali to Malad had to wait almost for 30 minutes before they moved even a inch.

PS: I think it is hightime for Western Express Highway's name changing ceremony. I feel somehow the words "Express" & "Highway" does not suit given the road & traffic condition.

Thanks,

[yogibear007]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

PS: I think it is hightime for Western Express Highway's name changing ceremony. I feel somehow the words "Express" & "Highway" does not suit given the road & traffic condition.

Fully second that. Should we name them Western Hole Way (WHY) or Western Express Bonebreaker (WEB) . I think it's a great idea to call for suggestions for renaming these main roads.

[Dieseltuned]

Originally Posted by yogibear007

Fully second that. Should we name them Western Hole Way (WHY) or Western Express Bonebreaker (WEB) . I think it's a great idea to call for suggestions for renaming these main roads.

Western Pothole Way (WPW) wold be my name.
Meanwhile, a warning to all drivers on JVLR. the signal to enter Hiranandani complex while coming from the western suburbs is malfunctioning. One Pole signal shows Green turn right and the other pole shows blank. Today morning I was absolute bonkers on whether to take the right or not.

Decided to wait and the angry young drivers as usual started a honking parade