[deepakchan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

When you book an Ola ride from the domestic terminal, make sure you tell him to pick you up opposite to Sangeetha restaurant. Their GPS seems to have some flaw and may direct them to the International terminal. Last week I had to wait longer because of this confusion.

Uber has clarified today as follows:
In response to the article titled ‘Only Ola cabs at Chennai airport’ published on 15 August, Uber clarified that while their kiosks will be absent at the airport, commuters can book rides to and from the airport through the app.

Source

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by esoticoreventon

Do you mind if I ask what car you were driving? My uncle who is in telecom business needs to frequently travel to pondy and he used to take his Innova. He used to get pulled over regularly and some payment needed to be made. Ever since he started taking the beaten up i10, he hasn't been stopped once.

I was driving Alto, so your uncle's i10 will qualify as luxury car in their eyes!

[jpcoolguy]

Nowadays, due to the road widening work in the Perungalathur-Vandalur stretch, there is maddening traffic in this stretch while coming from Chengalpattu towards Tambaram in the evening. And, vice versa, the similar traffic is observed between Guduvanchery-Urapakkam strectch as well in the morning. Due to this, the travel time has shot up by more than 30 mins both ways and it is really very annoying considering the traffic behaviour of our car drivers in this peak traffic.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by deepakchan

Uber has clarified today as follows:
In response to the article titled ‘Only Ola cabs at Chennai airport’ published on 15 August, Uber clarified that while their kiosks will be absent at the airport, commuters can book rides to and from the airport through the app.

Source

I thought the kiosk thing was out a long time ago, and for a year or so now, the meeting place was the giant indian flag in the parking lot?

[RedHerring]

The kiosks are used by the promoters there to book cars for people who either don't know how to book, don't have a phone or don't know the language. They will then speak to the driver and make him come to the Indian flag.

[jpcoolguy]

Soil testing for the Chennai Metro rail Phase-2 has started in the stretches of OMR, starting from Taramani till Siruseri. This work is specifically undertaken near the median occupying one lane from either side of the median. Please be careful while negotiating the turns in OMR while driving in the right most lane.

I have captured a stretch between DB Jain college and OMR food street (towards Shollinganallur side), in my car's dashcam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOzxe2EcsRU

Also, a snip from one of the Tamil daily newspaper.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Soil testing for the Chennai Metro rail Phase-2 has started in the stretches of OMR

Has been going on since end of August I remember. I saw them just ahead of SRP.

Has phase 2 survey work begun elsewhere in the city?

[longhorn]

I'm totally fed up with the work on the Inner Ring Road (Velachery MRTS to OTA) which has been going on for eons. They just block portions of the road as and when they feel like without putting any thought to how it would affect the traffic flow. The stretch from Vanuvampet junction till Thillai Ganga Nagar subway is a royal pain now. The congestion there is worse off than the Saidapet - CIT Nagar stretch.

[narayans80]

The metro work on OMR has now been going on between Tidel and Film City Road (both ways) since early this month. Have been driving at off hours, so haven't seen how traumatic it is at 830-9am

[locusjag]

I've just arrived an hour late at work.

Riding to office on my motorcycle, I spotted an old man with a walking stick, ambling along right at the center of the Perumbakkam-Sholinganallur main road. Traffic was milling around him like water around a rock in its path. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone ran him down.

So I parked a bit further away and was able to get him seated on the pavement. He was quite incapable and had a broken cheekbone or something like that. I couldn't understand whatever he spoke. 45 minutes went by and not a single autowallah would help. I walked further to ask a cop what to do. En route, I spotted a shopkeeper fretting over my parked motorcycle blocking his doorway. While I moved it a bit, I told him what'd happened nearby and cursed out aloud "this city is cold and soulless".

Further along, the cop said the patrol car will drop him at home only if I can get a phone number or an address out of the old man. So I walked back, only to be pleasantly surprised by the same shopkeeper in front of whom I had cursed this city. He said, having talked to the old man, he knew where he lived. He will be taken home, I was assured. I left from the spot.

I had hit a raw nerve, apparently, to spur the shopkeeper into action. Well, whatever it takes to awaken the humans in us... Glad to have gotten the old man away from sureshot harm.

This kind of a social phenomenon is called social loafing in management jargon. Everyone thought he was someone else's problem and ultimately no one helped him. There are stories like this from all around the world, of traffic passing by while accident victims lay unattended. So I know it wasn't fair of me to curse this city and its people; but I'll tell you what - I got a glimpse into a frightening reality concerning all of mankind this morning; we can be very selfish. Make no mistake, I've driven by abandoned or lost pets huddled along the median on city roads scores of times. I remember that one time a crying girl was seated alone on the median in Mount Road; she can't have been older than 2 years old. I knew that there were souls in need out there, but I've driven right by. So I'm no saint, no doubt about that.

Taken as a whole, we can be quite cold and soulless.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by locusjag

. I remember that one time a crying girl was seated alone on the median in Mount Road; she can't have been older than 2 years old. I knew that there were souls in need out there, but I've driven right by. So I'm no saint, no doubt about that.

Taken as a whole, we can be quite cold and soulless.

We do not need to be saints to do these things. This is the least expected from a human being. You were a good human, that's sufficient.

Having said that I have been Human few times and Inhuman many times. All that requires is one act of kindness from every country man.

[jpcoolguy]

A new survey found that about 75% of Chennai prefers Public Transportation which is highest among the cities surveyed.

Source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/articl...n-report-90951

The report meanwhile observed that Chennai had the most sustainable mobility practices among the cities surveyed. It stated that 75% of people in Chennai prefer public transport and praised the city's bus service which carries 1,300 passengers per bus per day, the highest among the cities surveyed. More than 60% of public transport users prefer to travel by bus, and on an average a commuter in Chennai spends less than one hour in transit. However, more than 95% of people in higher income groups in the city do not use buses for daily transport.

[RedHerring]

Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

A new survey found that about 75% of Chennai prefers Public Transportation which is highest among the cities surveyed.

My sense is that this is due to three main factors :
1. Chennai always had a decent suburban railway network (similar to Mumbai locals). While the shape of the city doesn't lend itself to the kind of coverage that Mumbai trains have, it has nevertheless been able to reach most of the traditional city. Now with the Taramani corridor also seeing quite a bit of traffic, it is now seen as a safe option to take.
2. Traditionally, buses in chennai have had ridiculously low fares. I remember the fares in other cities used to be higher in order of magnitudes in comparison. No idea what they are now.
3. There has been no viable alternative to public transport for people who can't afford their own vehicles. The auto guys are such rogues that they are just unviable for most people - which is unlike Mumbai. What this has done is to create another unorganised and dangerous mode of public transport called share autos, which are essentially Tata Magic who operate on set routes with complete disregard and indifference to traffic rules and human life in general.

[narayans80]

Keep a watch on the cyclone heading our way making landfall possibly 15th November. Intensity and exact landfall location will be more clear in the next couple of days.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thursday night and Friday, current landfall maybe not very far too the North of Chennai. Earlier projections had it hitting Pondy.

My information courtesy of Kea Weather Blog. Recommended!