[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Everlearner

Instead of running behind RTO, it is easier to just get the HSRP from private vendor and get it fixed.

Private vendors give IND-style plates and those are not real HSRP that RTO provides. It is a scam by the cops to harass people to get these fake plates. Earlier, these same cops used to tell that these IND plates are illegal.

From what I understood after talking to an RTO agent and a few company showroom number plate guys, KA RTO is not issuing HSRP to older vehicles. I am sure these guys will not turn away a paying customer if there was a possibility.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Wow this is a godsend. They are Govt. Approved and the plates will be sent from the nearby RTO according to their website. Why don't these idiots on Twitter and WhatsApp just refer these guys?

Just adding the link again. https://www.bookhsrponline.com/

Have you ordered plates from them?

[GrandTourer]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cebbr...d=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
(Not my video - Found on Instagram)

And the mismanagement at Nandi Hills keep getting worse. What you see in the above video is actually after the traffic was almost sorted. When I reached the main road (before the right turn to Nandi Hills), there were 5 lanes already created, and traffic coming from the opposite side did not have any room at all to get by. For the 200-odd meters to the checkpost at the foothills, it took us 2 hours to reach. Since the limit is 1000 cars in parking, we had to wait for cars to come down, to be allowed to go up (This was the only good part of traffic management that day - if X cars came down, X cars were allowed to go up).

What could have been better:
- Fixing the website that sells tickets. It never works.
- Having the cops near the right turn. Currently around 5-7 of them are all near the checkpost, where traffic is anyways managed well.
- Currently, only when the cars coming down reach the checkpost, are other cars allowed to go up. Radio communication will help here, where as soon as the cars start from the top, they can allow same number of cars from the bottom, so the queue moves quicker.

Anyways, if you're planning to go to Nandi Hills anytime in the near future, try and avoid the weekends.

[Meph1st0]

I have stopped going to Nandi Hills on weekends. I once went in 2018 I think and returned mid-way - too much traffic with very poor discipline, especially two-wheelers. For me, this just defeats the purpose of visiting such a place.
I went on a weekday last week and was surprised to see the number of vehicles - around 150 cars and 200 two-wheelers already in the parking lot by 7 am. Maybe people started working from Nandi Hills.

[wildsdi5530]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Earlier, these same cops used to tell that these IND plates are illegal.

Have you ordered plates from them?

No I'm yet to order. Just quoted the info from their website. They claim to be Govt approved. Also that the plates will be dispatched from nearest RTO post.

This number plate saga has been going on for a while. Colour of plate, font, size of font, frame, material, inked/printed/embossed, etc.

Easier to just do like truckers do, just hold a currency note out of the window and cruise through a check point. No time wasted.

[anandhsub]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

No I'm yet to order. Just quoted the info from their website. They claim to be Govt approved. Also that the plates will be dispatched from nearest RTO post.

The Karnataka Govt rules are fairly clear about no HSRP plates for old vehicles. Even the traffic police ad only gives specifications for number plate font and nothing about HSRP. In fact according to these rules fake IND plates are not allowed.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

No I'm yet to order. Just quoted the info from their website. They claim to be Govt approved. Also that the plates will be dispatched from nearest RTO post.

As you don't have first-hand info, the earlier post is misleading. The website is asking for lots of sensitive info including a scanned copy of RC. There were typos in multiple places and they didn't respond to my query on the number given. Please get your original post edited and put a disclaimer.

[TorqueyTechie]

Today I had planned to visit office and starting at 12:30pm from my home near Lalbagh. Was surprised to see huge traffic from JC road towards Majestic. It took me almost 40 mins to cross JC road and reach Corporation circle. Again the traffic from there until Mysore bank circle was high and it took another 15 mins to cross that. What should have been a 35-40 mins drive to office took almost 1.5 hours. Not sure about what the issue was as there was no vehicle breakdown or accident that I could see.

[ninjatalli]

Guys,
Need a bit of input.

Thursday night I got a flight to catch at 11pm but I have an important meeting/event at Sarjapur (somewhere on Sarjapur road) that I need to attend the same day, that starts at 7pm. I plan to leave by 8pm to make sure I have enough time to reach the airport inclusive of all potential delays. My hope/target is to reach the airport by 10pm.

Option 1: I take my bike and park it at the airport (for the long weekend). I have done this in the past and am comfortable. On the down side riding a bike to the office event is a constraint.

Option 2: I take my car and park it at the airport. Given the traffic, will it be a risky affair to try and reach by 10 pm to the airport?

Option 3: Pre-book a cab - would be happy to get suggestions; don't want to depend on Uber/Ola at the last minute.

Don't think there's a KIAL bus at that time but not 100% sure.

Any feedback/suggestions? Am I being aggressive wrt the 8pm - 10pm timelines?

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Any feedback/suggestions? Am I being aggressive wrt the 8pm - 10pm timelines?

I think yes. There is always the possibility that everything will be clear and you'll make it with time to spare, but consider the following:

*This is Bangalore, always has traffic. 8-9pm is still peak hour for office return traffic.
*Looks like the route from Sarjapur to the airport will be through the ORR. Metro construction has started there, so the road width is narrower these days on a road that already has bad traffic.
*Rainy season, so chance it will rain in the evening. Rain always makes Bangalore traffic exponentially worse.
*Bangalore airport security is always s-l-o-w.

I'd be far more comfortable skipping the 7pm event and heading to the airport at that time.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

...
Need a bit of input....

Unless the meeting is a must-not-miss and the flight isn't, don't even bother trying.

There are multiple potential choke points along ORR between Sarjapur & Hebbal that can put significant dents in your commute allocation all by themselves. Late evening with intercity buses in play, even airport expressway is no guaranteed smooth sailing.

Do not mess with Bangalore traffic unless you have shirts to spare.

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by adisan

Updates on white-topping of Mission Road and Goodshed Road
Source: Bangalore Mirror

ALL those road where white topping has been completed are a nightmare to drive on - bumpy, uneven surfaces. Maybe the long term maintenance costs will be reduced but its not at all good roads to drive on. And the government / authorities continue to 'white-top' more and more roads. Call me old school but the traditional bitumen asphalt is still the best quality as far as drivability is concerned, especially with those pavers that have been used, but i guess there is more money in concrete roads. User satisfaction can go to dogs!

[Vid6639]

Guys what is happening on Sarjapur road any ideas? It cannot be the metro work on ORR causing this pileup.

Sarjapur road is backed up whole day from Columbia asia all the way till Kasavanhalli lake.

Harlur road is backed up from Sarjapur road junction till Prestige ferns.

It's a total mess. They have added a service lane to turn left into HArlur road and that has made it more chaotic as idiots use the service lane to then go straight and cause a bigger jam since the island is removed.

All this even before the underpass construction has started.

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

...flight to catch at 11pm...I plan to leave by 8pm to make sure I have enough time to reach the airport inclusive of all potential delays. My hope/target is to reach the airport by 10pm.

...

That's quite a bold plan if I may say so.
The Sarjapur road traffic (from say BBQ nation to the Manipal Hospital) itself easily takes 30-45mins on a regular day. Thursday is when most people visit offices these days, so you might get a good chunk of vehicles on this road.
Then comes the ORR.

Take your vehicle if you like thrillers. You will be at the edge of your seat all the way to the airport.

Or better still, chuck the 7pm meeting and start for the airport. You might even reach KIA within 2-3hours but that's better than reaching at 10:30pm & missing your flight.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Guys what is happening on Sarjapur road any ideas?...

It seems the traffic is back to 2019 levels or that the folks have returned to Bangalore.
Sarjapur road was always a crawl, especially on weekends.
Harlur road was also a bottleneck, thanks to the narrow road right after Prestige Ferns. I remember being stuck in traffic at 8pm on this road for about an hour. Never took my car again. A scooter is much much faster.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

It seems the traffic is back to 2019 levels or that the folks have returned to Bangalore.
Sarjapur road was always a crawl, especially on weekends.
Harlur road was also a bottleneck, thanks to the narrow road right after Prestige Ferns. I remember being stuck in traffic at 8pm on this road for about an hour. Never took my car again. A scooter is much much faster.

The problem was always in morning and evening. Now it's full day and both days of weekend.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Guys,
Need a bit of input.

Thursday night I got a flight to catch at 11pm but I have an important meeting/event at Sarjapur (somewhere on Sarjapur road) that I need to attend the same day, that starts at 7pm.
Any feedback/suggestions? Am I being aggressive wrt the 8pm - 10pm timelines?

If you really have to take the 7pm meeting, then some suggestions below. Assuming when you say somewhere in Sarjapur Road, it it atleast 2-3 km down on Sarjapur Road.

1. Take your bike. Leave by 7.45pm. Take the backroute to the airport, Sarjapur Road -Varthur- Whitefield - budigere cross - KIAL. Google should route you fine. By 8pm the regular choke points at Varthur and Whitefield should be manageable, rest of the route is fairly free flowing. You should not take more than 2 hrs. Just as a comparison, a week back , I left by cab from Sarjapur Road , near Wipro office at 5pm and took 2 hrs 15 min through the back route. On the down side, several under construction stretches and it is a fairly dark road. So makes it a little more unsafe on bike.

2. Would not suggest car, you will not have time to park and then get to the terminal. I assume with bike this may be easier.

3. You cannot rely on uber. If you can pre book with a reliable agency, if you leave at 7.45 , you can just about make it.

Again all of this only through the Whitefield - Budigere route. Via ORR, it is very very risky.