Indian Roads Thread

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 11 Jul 2015 20:09

They want to keep the price of the vehicle down. Small hatchback models with airbags and ABS cost twice that of Alto and basic i10s. That's why safety features are provided in higher models instead of being standard across all trims.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 12 Jul 2015 01:51

Aditya_V wrote: I slow down instinctively on Highways when I catch any chance of some one trying to merge in Indian Highways as many are poor judges of speed and braking.

I do the same in the US. Never drove any motorized vehicle in India except a moped for a less than a KM a few times.
Defensive driving is same whether in the US or India. Not only one should avoid mistakes one should watch out for others making them. By being defensive, one avoids an accident. That is the only thing that matters.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jul 2015 02:17

In India, it is always offensive driving.. hoot honk howlers just keep driving expecting everyone on their way are stupid for having taken their right of ways. Jeez! that is one effing thing I disliked even when I was driving in desh, and had not seen any other nation on the planet.

I really dunno why people should think they have their way every second and they own their spot wherever their vehicle lies or driving on. Everyone else on the street are MCBC candidates. filthy mouth and what not. totally disgusting and uncouth driving culture.

btw, this was just based on personal experience some 15 years back. i don't think India would have done better under UPA on these.. let us hope this new gov also introduce some new road behavior model and install decency.

Rajesh_MR · Post by **Rajesh_MR** » 12 Jul 2015 06:00

Connecting horns to petrol/diesel than battery will help reduce aggressiveness on roads. Honk for x secs a liter of fuel is consumed. Mostly people use a combination of accelerator and horn where a simple tap on brake would suffice

srin · Post by **srin** » 12 Jul 2015 08:49

In case of accidents, it is A's word against B. Consequently, cause of the accidents are almost never established.

We should mandate dashcams and data recorder (like aircraft blackbox FDR) for all commercial vehicles at the very least and maybe for personal vehicles too.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jul 2015 19:38

all vehicles must choke and stall or gear system automatically falls into neutral with full brakes if it reaches 2 feet safe distance between each other. regressively, reduce the speed as the collision distance nears.. from 70kmph at 30', 50kmph at 20', 30kmph at 10' to 0-5 kmph at 2'.. that is it!

you don't do it, the system will! mandatory!

without vehicles, even people brains needs such infusion.. especially standing in line on a counter to purchase tickets.. sheesh! they would just don't get what safe distance means. typical indic, that fails to realize even after few years of training. this is pure indic village behavior, and cities are much better at this.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 12 Jul 2015 21:08

Don't engage clutch or bring gear into Neutral when braking. Downshift only when you got the desired speed. Braking effort will be less with gear engaged and accelerator disengaged.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 13 Jul 2015 00:01

sure.. acceleration must not happen in conjunction to applying brakes is common-sense.. but downshifting works only when you have enough distance so that you can plan your speed reduction accordingly.. otherwise, there is no second thought about brakes. of course, with clutch on with gears, you are likely to choke the engine while braking down.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 13 Jul 2015 00:16

Karthik S wrote:They want to keep the price of the vehicle down. Small hatchback models with airbags and ABS cost twice that of Alto and basic i10s. That's why safety features are provided in higher models instead of being standard across all trims.

To what extent are these safety components - belts, front/side/curtain airbags etc - made in India ? Or are they all fully imported components in every Indian vehicle ?

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 13 Jul 2015 01:13

^^^
Takata india has a humungous factory in Chennai where they research and make all manner of auto safety products. I have been trying to get a visit their for several years now without luck.

niran · Post by **niran** » 13 Jul 2015 13:14

habal wrote: For most cars, the air bags also do not open if impact is from rear.

yes sir true, but S class have had rear passenger air bag from the sides and front since a decade ago sensors are present that sense the deceleration rate and whether there is a rear passenger and the use of seat belt, by accounts Hema malini was asleep without seat belt (of course) her fore head banged rear air outlet between the 2 front seats not due to the initial crash but when her car banged against the divider later on how her head evaded all the air bags (8 in total) is beyond me, this goes to show always put on the seat belt regardless of make and price of the car. last year Gopinath Munde broke his neck and died and now Hema has a broken nose though she was lucky to be traveling in a merc if it was in a Maruti as Mude Sir then..... i digress.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 13 Jul 2015 14:01

vayu tuvan wrote:
Aditya_V wrote: I slow down instinctively on Highways when I catch any chance of some one trying to merge in Indian Highways as many are poor judges of speed and braking.
I do the same in the US. Never drove any motorized vehicle in India except a moped for a less than a KM a few times.
Defensive driving is same whether in the US or India. Not only one should avoid mistakes one should watch out for others making them. By being defensive, one avoids an accident. That is the only thing that matters.

Only difference is, having driven only 7000 miles around the Minnepolis area in 2007, there are a lot more intersections, lot more undisciplined drivers, lots more pedestrians, domestic animals in India

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Jul 2015 18:31

driving in MN is no way a comparison to driving in desh.. like saying, the only difference in rover navigation on mars is same as navigating it on the streets of san. fran. waving at desis jaywalking. unless, this is a cognitive metaphor, i don't see any difference other than those common reuse technology on the vehicles.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 14 Jul 2015 19:04

US, Canada have one simple rule (police and insurance) that is the car that hits another car in front is Guilty of driving too close to the vehicle in front. I believe there is no such Law in India.

I never drive more than 70 KMPH in India when between cities and 40KMPH in cities always keeping at least 3+ seconds distance between the vehicle in front.

Also! The worst part of India is that everybody drives with High Beam lights at night., driving at Night in India is probably the worst in World!! I mostly drive on days in India.

In USA! the speed limit is 65 MPH so I set my cruise around 72 MPH on highways.

There is no comparison between Indian and USA driving.

In my Humble Opinion at least 90% of drivers in India are unfit to be Drivers (needs better training).

niran · Post by **niran** » 15 Jul 2015 10:36

SBajwa wrote: always keeping at least 3+ seconds distance between the vehicle in front.

what you do when people keep getting inside that 3+ second zone? though me learned driving in desh always kept a distance from the vehicle ahead always someun would drive inside that space, on stops 3 wheelers cycles tricycles would fill the space with some looking back trying to find out who the dumb driver is, have been shouted on be co-passengers and once a pandu walked up and ordered to fill up the 8 meter or so gap told him what if the car slide back? before he could answer the front car slid back (almost all manual do on slopes ) i broke out laughing loud and poor pandu went away with.......... err i leave it that.

@Chanayaka Gaaru,
saar the foto shows left of the alto and right of the merc (the left was damaged while merc hit the divider)the alto was merging to its left hence left side mirror was necessary.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 17 Jul 2015 01:32

Niran you cannot do that in cities. Only when traveling between cities try to be behind at least 3 seconds (especially Trucks and Buses).

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 17 Jul 2015 06:59

SBajwa wrote:Niran you cannot do that in cities. Only when traveling between cities try to be behind at least 3 seconds (especially Trucks and Buses).

Absolutely, in cities try to be in the lane next to the divider and see to it that you don't give enough space between you and the car before you for a two/three wheeler to cut into. It's for their safety only, as most of them don't indicate while cutting into or away from lanes.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 17 Jul 2015 12:34

Modi govt takes the wheel as road building fails to take off

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top civil servant hauled road builder KMC Constructions into his office last week, along with a state bank and officials, and set an October deadline to finish the Pink City Expressway linking Delhi and Jaipur.

It looks a tough ask. The 225 km (140 mile) highway is still missing seven bridges, several stretches need to be widened to the projected six lanes, and miles of land have not yet been acquired. The road should have opened three years ago.

The journey from the capital to the rose-hued sandstone tourist town can take six bumpy hours and is a symbol of the challenges Modi faces to kick-start Asia's third-largest economy.

Frustrated by hold-ups in way-behind-schedule projects the government thought it had fixed, Modi's office is now itself leaning on contractors and banks whose estimated $49 billion in bad loans - much of it to infrastructure projects - are blamed for suppressing the investment cycle.

Modi placed a $12.6 billion bet in this year's budget on road building, with $16 billion more to be spent on railways, looking to create jobs and boost economic capacity. To help pay for the modernisation of decrepit roads and rail, Modi is reining in spending on health and welfare programmes for the poor - so the stakes are high.

But a handful of troubled mega-projects like the Pink City Expressway are proving to be stubborn roadblocks.

"The investment cycle has not picked up since the government came in," said Mahesh Vyas, managing director at research group Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). "Making a premium in the budget is one thing. You have to go and spend it."

The transport ministry has already burned through $2 billion since April as it races to invest the $6.8 billion of government spending it has been allocated this year. Yet this has not fed through to a marked increase in new road building, with much of the money earmarked for cash-crunched developers.

At last week's meeting, Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra demanded results for five road projects that cars were supposed to be driving down years ago, two people with knowledge of the meetings told Reuters.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jul 2015 18:38

It is hard to change culture when the culture itself is organically trained for living with evil loopholes. I must say, (this also includes PM Modi), not everyone has the capability to understand real problems and how to fix them. it is easy to shoot off the mouth and claim victory.. the usual culture habit of indic (generally speaking onlee) is finger-point, loot and scoot, lie and cheat, look for more loopholes.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Jul 2015 19:49

We should do what China did and spin off these bad loans into a separate investment vehicle. Said the same a year ago. $49 Billion is a nothing amount for Indian economy but each year you let it sit the interest alone strangles the companies a little more.

Demanding results is useless if people are not making money. Economy needs to find ways to become profitable, obscenely profitable....

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jul 2015 20:07

when following simple rules becomes a case or feeling of curbed freedom, we have a banana setup going very well organized. the deep rut is still rotting the people and infrastructure.. it has been almost a year and half after modi gov, and we still have not seen the much needed @$$ whippings.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 17 Jul 2015 20:23

Give Gadkari a couple more years before we whine on. ABV started from a very low base in quality of roads, so it was all visible immediately. Next upgrades are going to be difficult and time consuming. Land acquisition hurdles will be the most daunting and environmental certifications.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Jul 2015 20:37

Saik,

Looks like the fellow was called to dilli and in ancient mughalnama style given a a$$ whumpin’ and given his marching orders.
What do you know a$$ whoopin’s don’t build bridges. But try telling that to dilli.
------------------------------

I’m with vina on at least this part, dilli has a distortion field around it that prevents reality from trickling in.
The less that gets decided in dilli the better.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Jul 2015 20:41

the chennai-krishnagiri stretch seems all 6 laned now - soothingly high quality, good signs, steel fences and flyovers in towns like vaniyambadi .... its all set to be a industrial corridor to hosur.

i could drive steadily at around 85-90 last weekend , traffic was very less compared to the N-S krishnagiri-hosur-electronic city that has lot of truck and some high uphills.

various yahoos were driving at 120-150 range.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jul 2015 21:11

do they have speed limits posted? even then, cops need to have appropriate chase vehicles capable of double that speed.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 17 Jul 2015 21:13

Good roads will eventually be built, but good driving habits perhaps not. You can post all the rules and speed limits etc on roads, but without strict implementation in hand everything goes.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Jul 2015 21:24

One thing that is becoming blatantly obvious in the USA is that humans sux at driving cars. It is just not our strength.

The google cars keep getting run into and even though statistics say that this is the normal accident rate, the fact is the autonomous cars are so so much safer. I fully see a time in our lifetime when the majority of cars are autonomous. I would love to get into the back seat of my car and let it take me to the destination. At that point insurance to self drive will become punitive. You want to drive the Ferrari, pay $5,000 pm....

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2487896,00.asp

Human error is to blame for the latest crash of a self-driving car, according to the tech giant. The vehicle in question rear-ended Google's prototype because of "distracted driving."

Nextcar Bug art"Our self-driving cars are being hit surprisingly often by other drivers who are distracted and not paying attention to the road," Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving cars unit, wrote in a blog post. "That's a big motivator for us."

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jul 2015 21:26

organic correction is death per family. that will really kick-in the awareness of safe-n-sensible-disciplined driving i guess. sorry to be a commie on this. behavioral science onlee

jagga · Post by **jagga** » 19 Jul 2015 16:00

Lack of common sense , macho driving etc. is visible every second on Indian roads. The other dangerous side of Indian roads is mob justice. Mob decide's instantly who is at fault in accident. And we all know what kind of justice they deliver on the spot.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2015 19:49

good job by the driver there.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 19 Jul 2015 19:52

Landslide reported on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Size of the boulders seems big to crush cars. Do they use any safety nets to keep smaller rocks from falling on to the carriageway there ?

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 19 Jul 2015 21:06

SaiK wrote:do they have speed limits posted? even then, cops need to have appropriate chase vehicles capable of double that speed.

Speed limit posting is limited as far as I have seen (in the Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Coimbatore sector). Tamil Nadu police have a good fleet of Highway mobiles. Pretty much every district has 2-3 of them, and they do patrol the highways. But at least in TN, I have seen that speed law enforcement is very very lax. These highway police mobiles don't have the equipment like speed radars. The vehicles seems to be Taveras etc., so I guess they can go at good speeds.

A US style cop car-chase, might not be really possible in these roads at the moment. Too many vehicles which may be violating the rules, and police drivers themselves not getting any special training for high-speed driving. But what we can do is to have police check posts at every toll booth. Connect these police check posts with the district police wireless network, so that a highway police vehicle detecting a violation can record it, and inform the check post ahead on wireless to detain the vehicle and issue the notice. Most of these speeders are not local drivers, so they will happily drive into a toll booth hoping to have escaped the "hands of the law".

I have seen such a system working at Paliyekkara Toll booth in KL (between Thrissur & Ernakulam). There is a police check post out there, and they get informed well in advance of any speeders (or hit and run cases) coming along the way. At least two highway mobiles are there between Thrissur and Ernakulam, at any given point of time. Tolled highways, discreetly also give the police a chance to stop & detain the vehicles.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 19 Jul 2015 22:34

Theo_Fidel wrote:One thing that is becoming blatantly obvious in the USA is that humans sux at driving cars. It is just not our strength.

The google cars keep getting run into and even though statistics say that this is the normal accident rate, the fact is the autonomous cars are so so much safer. I fully see a time in our lifetime when the majority of cars are autonomous. I would love to get into the back seat of my car and let it take me to the destination. At that point insurance to self drive will become punitive. You want to drive the Ferrari, pay $5,000 pm....

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2487896,00.asp
Human error is to blame for the latest crash of a self-driving car, according to the tech giant. The vehicle in question rear-ended Google's prototype because of "distracted driving."

Nextcar Bug art"Our self-driving cars are being hit surprisingly often by other drivers who are distracted and not paying attention to the road," Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving cars unit, wrote in a blog post. "That's a big motivator for us."

Saar, Google car is also made by humans, if humans can't drive a car (which is a one dimensional problem - 1 car, 1 driver, 1 situation), how can they write an algorithm that's good for a multi-dimension problem, many cards, many driving situations etc?

I hear same logic when people say they can't comprehend "you are god" (so be responsible) but can comprehend "God exists who can't be seen, felt, interacted etc" (you can be irresponsible as long as you believe xyz) . It's all nothing but escapism I say.

Coming to insurance, insurance industry can penalize/reward any behavior it wants...

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 21 Jul 2015 09:49

Taxi Mafia attacks self-drive vehicle convoy in Ladakh, hurts three tourists, damages vehicles
I don't know if the peaceful community is involved here, but some thing is wrong in Leh-Ladakh regions as well. With lots of people now owning vehicles and preferring self-drives, the taxi driver gangs seems to be losing out on revenue. Heard that they (the unions, and few religious leaders as well) have come up with a "vision statement" (?). As per that self-driven cars by tourists can ply on the highway connecting Sri Nagar->Leh->Manali. Any visits to tourist spots outside the highways, have to be through your friendly local taxi driver goon. The resolution has not been formally accepted by the government.

Karthik S · Post by **Karthik S** » 21 Jul 2015 17:46

http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/ ... 31683.html

New Delhi: As part of efforts to boost road infrastructure for faster connectivity, the Centre is planning to start work on 10 world-class express highways, which will not only reduce travel time but also propel country's economic growth, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.
.
.

vivek_v · Post by **vivek_v** » 21 Jul 2015 18:17

Sachin wrote:Taxi Mafia attacks self-drive vehicle convoy in Ladakh, hurts three tourists, damages vehicles
I don't know if the peaceful community is involved here, but some thing is wrong in Leh-Ladakh regions as well. With lots of people now owning vehicles and preferring self-drives, the taxi driver gangs seems to be losing out on revenue. Heard that they (the unions, and few religious leaders as well) have come up with a "vision statement" (?). As per that self-driven cars by tourists can ply on the highway connecting Sri Nagar->Leh->Manali. Any visits to tourist spots outside the highways, have to be through your friendly local taxi driver goon. The resolution has not been formally accepted by the government.

I guess the main issue with only for Self Drive Taxis (a.k.a. Zoomcar and likes with the Black with Yellow numbering) and not for personal vehicles though it really does not make any sense to ban Self Drive Taxis.

Taxi union in Sikkim to visit Nathu-la pass also has something similar. Banning personal cars or attacks against personal cars would cause blow back from the Hotel Industry in Ladhak region and I guess personal cars should be fine.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 22 Jul 2015 18:58

by Singha
good job by the driver there.

That's why weapons for self defense are a must in a democracy!!

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 26 Jul 2015 06:54

Green plan for highways: 1% project cost to be set aside to plant trees

Speaking to The Sunday Express, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari said: “The glare from the headlights of incoming vehicles and the effect of winds, one of the reasons for accidents, could be reduced if there was adequate attention to developing the national highways in an eco-friendly manner. We have therefore decided to tree-line the 97,000 km of existing national highways and around 40,000 km of new roads that we would be adding to the network over the next few years.”

He said the initiative sought to take forward the NDA government’s flagship Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and is expected to generate employment for about five lakh people.

According to the norms outlined in the policy, the government will create a pool of 1,000-odd contractors with their own nurseries, who will be entrusted with planting trees, landscaping and laying grass turfs and ornamental shrubs along national highways. The policy aims to provide employment to the local people and will be implemented with the participation of the local communities, farmers, NGOs, private sector players, local self-government bodies and the forest department. “We will put this initiative under the MNREGA scheme. If required, we can give advances to farmers and contractors for purchasing trucks and tractors,”

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 28 Jul 2015 18:13

SBajwa wrote:
by Singha
good job by the driver there.
That's why weapons for self defense are a must in a democracy!!

well said! ladies need tasers.

improved technology - cctv installations
more speed control radar installations on cross sections

it is expensive.. but pays. IITs can work on making it cheaper and better.

--

when I travel next time, I will ensure I carry some form of weapon/talwar/baton etc. might buy a taser or two.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Jul 2015 06:15

after umpteen years of construction led by indian railways, the state of the brahmaputra bridge at dibrugarh..a vital strategic bridge to permit quick movement into eastern arunachal pradesh

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/ ... e7c51b6cea