[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Those of you who commute from City Centre to Indiranagar might have noticed huge jams around the HOSMAT junction. This is due to concreting the link road between HOSMAT and Victoria Road. One is better off going via MG Road or cutting through Auston town for the time being

I actually use the HAL route to get to Mahadevapura, and the irony is the whole stretch has become a lot less clogged after tarmac was relaid, only for them to make a mess of the linking road and now taking ages to return it to service

[NPV]

After so many years, took the scooter for the commute to workplace today.
Started around regular time as I would with the car and still took the same time! Bangalore traffic ensures "equality of traffic" so everyone takes the same time
Stuck to my old school ways of riding the scooter, keeping to the left as much as possible and the right lanes only to overtake (extremely rare) and for turns.
I must say, I always used to empathize with 2 wheeler riders but now my respect for them is also up multi-fold - on the Old Madras Road-KR Puram Railway station, Whitefield road, the left lanes are the worst, with pot holes that can take one by sheer surprise, very easy to damage the ride and the rider

[guyfrmblr]

A word of caution for folks taking the Varthur route. I saw the chariot being decorated and shops being setup on the footpath of the main road. I guess today is the annual village fair. Usually they block the main road for this occasion and divert the traffic in the narrow roads which leads to severe traffic snarls. It's better to avoid Varthur today. There was already a mini jam in the morning.

[ashwin.terminat]

Could anyone enlighten me on why there is this chaotic jam everyday near Brand Factory enroute to Kundanahalli Gate? I have never seen this place jammed until a few days ago.

And I end up waiting longer here than I would at Kundanahalli Gate before!

[binand]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Could anyone enlighten me on why there is this chaotic jam everyday near Brand Factory enroute to Kundanahalli Gate? I have never seen this place jammed until a few days ago.

Folks coming from Bellandur side on ORR going towards Whitefield, or coming from Whitefield side going towards Mahadevpura, all take U-turn here. Especially the latter, who previously used to take the U-turn bang in the middle of the Marathahalli bridge cannot do so any longer.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Could anyone enlighten me on why there is this chaotic jam everyday near Brand Factory enroute to Kundanahalli Gate? I have never seen this place jammed until a few days ago.

And I end up waiting longer here than I would at Kundanahalli Gate before!

Originally Posted by binand

Folks coming from Bellandur side on ORR going towards Whitefield, or coming from Whitefield side going towards Mahadevpura, all take U-turn here. Especially the latter, who previously used to take the U-turn bang in the middle of the Marathahalli bridge cannot do so any longer.

Add to that, the left lane of the entire stretch was dug up recently for pipe-laying work, and has never been repaired.
This has rendered the left lane almost useless, unless some heavy vehicle / TT / Sumos who can still ply on this side. Most of the private and small vehicles stick to the right lane to avoid the broken left lane.

[pratyush6]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Could anyone enlighten me on why there is this chaotic jam everyday near Brand Factory enroute to Kundanahalli Gate? I have never seen this place jammed until a few days ago.

And I end up waiting longer here than I would at Kundanahalli Gate before!

And this place is the entire reason why I use the Doddanekkundi bypass. It is an absolute mess - not only from past week but probably the past couple of months. And people take a U Turn from the absolute left side of the road which creates a gridlock

[hillsnrains]

Update on Whitefield Area Roads: It seems now it is BWSSB's turn after the Optical Fiber folks to screw the already horrible Whitefield roads
Hope farm to Forum value mall: BWSSB Dug up the left lane and as usual they put gravel on the uneven surface to make things worst for two wheeler's and situation is same for last two months or so
Varthur Kodi junction to Kunadala halli gate: BWSSB started digging this stretch as well, especially near D-Mart they have dug-up 50% of the road
Hoodi signal to Hope farm: Road is in horrible condition for the last two months or so. Some streches like opp. Zuri hotel, little after ITPL have become horrible to drive.

If this trend continues, by monsoon we all may need to drive vehicles with >200mm ground clearance

[Soumyajit9]

Woke up to some good news !!

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/banga.../46046729.cms?

Finally, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has undertaken the task of putting up skywalks on ORR stretch between K R Puram and Central Silk Board junction. Recently BDA found seven major junctions which pedestrians struggled to cross. BDA has floated tenders on PPP (Public Private Partnership) model to build footbridges for 22 locations on ORR. These skywalks would be ready to use only by this year end, say officials.

Bad news - Another year of pain and struggle (which may get extended also), till they complete the construction.

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Bad news - Another year of pain and struggle (which may get extended also), till they complete the construction.

Even after the skywalks are built, we have to wait and see how many will actually use it. May of the places have narrow medians. Erecting tall blockades is not possible. So people will still run across the road.

When they build these skywalks, they won't even give provision for elevators to be fitted later. They won't make the skywalks future-ready. They won't even make any other provisions for physically handicapped people, or for those who cannot climb up and down so many stairs.

I thought for a moment that a passage under the road would be nice for pedestrians. But if I remember right, there are many enormous pipes that go under the roads. So skywalk is the only option.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

Even after the skywalks are built, we have to wait and see how many will actually use it. May of the places have narrow medians. Erecting tall blockades is not possible. So people will still run across the road.

When they build these skywalks, they won't even give provision for elevators to be fitted later. They won't make the skywalks future-ready. They won't even make any other provisions for physically handicapped people, or for those who cannot climb up and down so many stairs.

I thought for a moment that a passage under the road would be nice for pedestrians. But if I remember right, there are many enormous pipes that go under the roads. So skywalk is the only option.

Ahh, I believe the major users of these skywalks would be the 'IT junta'.
Yes, I am afraid too that these would be buitd as per immediate requirements, not future ready.
Building an elevator for differently abled people or pregnant ladies must not have struck the empty brains of BBMP. Anyways, an elevator would be expensive to maintain, plus employ another guard manning this.
I wish they build a ramp.

An underpass is a big no no. Half of the time it would be flooded or converted to a public urinal !!!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

......I believe the major users of these skywalks would be the 'IT junta'.......

Hopeless optimism, eh?

You're speaking of the same lazy bums who wait for elevators in office lobbies to go up/down ONE floor (I'm not kidding, and these aren't a minority either). Fat chance they'll use a sky-walk when they can jay-walk instead.

[nandans2005]

[Even after the skywalks are built, we have to wait and see how many will actually use it. So people will still run across the road]

Well, what is it with us Indians make us do all these,

1) We dont follow traffic rules.
2) We dont care for lane discipline.
3) We dont care for pedestrians.
4) We cant wait to rush at the signals.
5) A guy following or trying to follow traffic rules is looked down upon like a strange fellow.
6) We start honking for every silly reason on the road ( I have seen 2 wheelers honking on the street for no good reason)
7) We dont want to use the low beam inside the city.
8) We dont want to wait on the roads. Try and squeeze your vehicle at the smallest gap available to rush.
9) We dont want to wear helmets. Helmets are carried around in the forearm.
10) We will not use the skywalks, instead prefer sprinting and jumping across the streets.
11)We prefer to take right turn from extreme left corner of the road cutting off all the others in between or vice versa.
12) Use mobile phones while driving slowly in the middle of the road.
13) Texting on the phone.
14) Squeeze the mobile phone in between the ear and the helmet and ride.
15) Grip the mobile phone between the ear and shoulder and ride.
16) Dont stop while the cops wave to stop, instead zip off.
17) Start crossing the signals when the relevant signal is green.
18) Hit the side view mirror of the car in the process of squeezing inbetween.
19) Spit PAN on the road.
20) Throw LAYs cover, plastic bottles, tissue and all kind of garbage on the road.

-the list goes on, why are we like this ? I just fail to understand. I have seen my friends behave so well while in a foreign land, once they are back, its back to the usual stuff.

when are we going to change ? Will we ever change to make our country a better place ?

i am really sad driving everyday seeing all these nuisance on the streets.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Hopeless optimism, eh?

You're speaking of the same lazy bums who wait for elevators in office lobbies to go up/down ONE floor (I'm not kidding, and these aren't a minority either). Fat change they'll use a sky-walk when they can jay-walk instead.

Haahaahaaa... I loved the quote - "Hopeless Optimism" !!!

You see, we are Indians. We follow whatever others do.
Initially I expect people to chicken walk across the road, but slowly when 2 or 3 or 4 people start using the skywalk, then others would follow suit.
That would still leave a super-smart bunch who would still chicken-walk. Just hope that they leave the planet soon, but atleast not infront of our cars or bikes.

EDIT:
BTW, I wanted to share a very short and nice thing that happened to me yesterday.
My wife returned from work and we were lazying around with our kid in the evening. Then my wife asked me to get something from outside for dinner as she was feeling tired. So around 9 pm, I was about to leave, when my wife said, and here is the conversation that we had:

Wife: Wear your helmet and go.
Me: The nearest food joint is about 600 mts from my house, within the bylanes of BTM (not main road). No cops will catch me at 9pm.
Wife: Wear it for us.
Me: What happened ?
Wife: This is Road Safety week and our company showed us some videos and gave some lecture and presentation on the importance of wearing helmets, wearing seatbelts. When you religiously wear helmet and seatbelts all the time, why aren't you wearing now. Even though it is nearby, wear it and go.

Still Stunned and speechless, wore helmet and went to the food joint.
Spouses are very imporant in lfe, they correctly correct you sometimes.

[SunnyBoi]

Zzzzz. Just look what happened in front of Christ College.

Sky walk constructed and still no one using? Now they are fencing the divider! People are now crossing over the unfenced sections. Indians will never change. Constructing skywalks is just a waste of public money and an irritation to all road users during construction.