Indian Roads Thread

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Aug 2010 09:29

best policy in heading towards mysore side seems to be - leave at 6am sharp, avoid stopping for breakfast until you reach mysore or the mcdonalds near mandya. halting at kamath lokaruchi easily wastes 1 hr. if going towards ooty side I heard there is ccday near gundlapet, so drive through mysore without stopping.

toward salem its the ulta problem - roads are great and open, but not much roadside eateries.

not sure how the scene is toward chennai.

vina · Post by **vina** » 26 Aug 2010 10:22

toward salem its the ulta problem - roads are great and open, but not much roadside eateries.

not sure how the scene is toward chennai.

Same scene as towards Salem. After you cross Adayar Anand Bhavan / BP or Kamath/CC Day/HP after Hosur and before Krishnagiri, there is no roadside decent place all the way to Sriperumbudur/Chennai outskirts.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 26 Aug 2010 10:36

vina wrote:Same scene as towards Salem. After you cross Adayar Anand Bhavan / BP or Kamath/CC Day/HP after Hosur and before Krishnagiri, there is no roadside decent place all the way to Sriperumbudur/Chennai outskirts.

Very true. I always bring some packed food, which I eat at a wayside gas station.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 26 Aug 2010 11:06

Singha wrote:halting at kamath lokaruchi easily wastes 1 hr.

Is this the one in Ramanagara suburbs, or are you talking about the one in Mysore city? Generally when we drive down, we try to have breakfast at the one in Mysore, and yes we need to account for 1 hour there.

toward salem its the ulta problem - roads are great and open, but not much roadside eateries.

When going towards the socialist republic on the Bengaluru->Krishnagiri->Salem route. Towards Salem the only good eatery is the Adyar Ananda Bhavan (and a Cafe Coffee Day next to it). This is actually a good location because you have a petrol bunk also right next to it. After that there is another good outlet near Coimbatore (Rajabhojanam??) some where near to Walayar, Socialist Republic. On the return leg, there is another "Rajabhojanam" some where after the Coimbatore L&Y byepass. After that we need to wait till Dharmapuri suburbs for another Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B).

In case of "Adayar Ananda Bhavan" all "Aanandham" goes away in a jiffy, when we the huge crowds there. When I drive I get the "bus driver" mentality, i.e reach the destination in the quickest time possible, with minimum wastage due to halts. So in 99% of times I avoid these places.

One thing which I noticed is that eateries like Adyar Anandha Bhavan also have very neatly maintained toilet facilities, which makes them extra popular with women. I feel that the mad rush in these places are also due to these neat toilets.

BTW, update on the Avinashi->Erode (suburbs)->Bengaluru route. The Salem town is also now neatly byepassed by the four lane express highway. So as of now after Avanashi town, forget seeing any major built up area/town until you reach Bengaluru suburbs.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Aug 2010 11:11

my spies claim in karur town if you go into the town about a km there is a good place. but then my spy was accompanied by a native of karur on that trip further south. salem surely has good hotels within the city, but one has to know quick routes to ingress and egress.

vina · Post by **vina** » 26 Aug 2010 11:36

my spies claim in karur town if you go into the town about a km there is a good place. but then my spy was accompanied by a native of karur on that trip further south. salem surely has good hotels within the city, but one has to know quick routes to ingress and egress.

Oh, I have done Namakkal a couple of times. There is a place called "Nela" , just a quick detour out of the highway and back. No problems there. There is only one way in and out . Their Thali is pretty decent.

In Vellore there are a couple of options including Saravana's on the way to Chennai . But getting in and out is a pain, so set aside 45mins + 45 mins (eating time) for that. For Chennai, best to pack sandwiches and eat somewhere on the way.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Aug 2010 13:38

tbhp reports claim the bandipur-gudalur-ooty road is in good shape again....I was trying to convince wife to take a trip to conoor or ooty but so far no can do.
on the other route via mudumali forest lots of yahoo taxi & jeep drivers tend to force one off the road onto the rough rocky shoulder.

manish · Post by **manish** » 26 Aug 2010 13:48

Singha wrote:tbhp reports claim the bandipur-gudalur-ooty road is in good shape again....I was trying to convince wife to take a trip to conoor or ooty but so far no can do.
on the other route via mudumali forest lots of yahoo taxi & jeep drivers tend to force one off the road onto the rough rocky shoulder.

Ouch! The very thought of rough rocky shoulders coming in contact with your brand new TFTA Civic's low-slung underbody is...painful. I guess your old SDRE workhorse Santro was a better bet for such trips through the country side GD.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Aug 2010 20:51

I did it in santro once. going up the petrol reached rock bottom midway in the hairpin bends and per people we asked, the petrol pump was 2km away onlee saar. this went on for 20km until we reached upper ooty!
coming back, I damaged the brake rotors which started smoking.

so now tfta or sdre, I am not using that route - ever . its gudalur route or via coimbatore route (salem -> avinashi -> conoor) which I hear is pretty tfta these days.

I think onlee the 24L fortuner offers the rugged chassis and interior creature comforts to take on anything this country can throw at it

I will need to work another job at night to afford it - perhaps gunman for a influential real estate shark or sigint operator for a politician.

bart · Post by **bart** » 26 Aug 2010 22:38

Singha wrote: I think onlee the 24L fortuner offers the rugged chassis and interior creature comforts to take on anything this country can throw at it I will need to work another job at night to afford it - perhaps gunman for a influential real estate shark or sigint operator for a politician.

Or just publish a novel

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 27 Aug 2010 01:56

Singha wrote:toward salem its the ulta problem - roads are great and open, but not much roadside eateries.

This is 6 years ago....but that place had some great dhaabas. I have fond memories of driving in Salem Dharmapuri Krishnagiri Hosur road.

Krishna_V · Post by **Krishna_V** » 27 Aug 2010 22:01

Not sure if this is posted here

Peripheral Ring Road planned in Hyderabad

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 245748.cms

Heres Eenadu report

http://epaper.eenadu.net/pdf/2010/07/27 ... 102005.jpg

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 28 Aug 2010 06:55

Singha wrote:I did it in santro once. going up the petrol reached rock bottom midway in the hairpin bends and per people we asked, the petrol pump was 2km away onlee saar. this went on for 20km until we reached upper ooty!
coming back, I damaged the brake rotors which started smoking.

so now tfta or sdre, I am not using that route - ever . its gudalur route or via coimbatore route (salem -> avinashi -> conoor) which I hear is pretty tfta these days.

I think onlee the 24L fortuner offers the rugged chassis and interior creature comforts to take on anything this country can throw at it I will need to work another job at night to afford it - perhaps gunman for a influential real estate shark or sigint operator for a politician.

I have done this route a couple of time and prefer it over the Gudalur route. More scenic and more chances of spotting wildlife. Used engine breaking on the way down so brakes were OK, although I did sustain a finger burn by being very curious about the temperature of the front disk brakes

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Aug 2010 07:47

I was more cautious...threw a bottle of water on it and went away as STEAM instantly!

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 28 Aug 2010 08:01

Insurers may penalize accident-prone drivers

Until recently, insurers in India did not make a distinction in the premium amount paid by motorists, regardless of the criteria of age, usage and parking habits.

However, Chennai-based general insurer Royal Sundaram Alliance recently revamped its proposal form for the private car package policy. The proposal form is now designed to capture additional information such as the number of people who drive the car and motoring offences committed during the past three years. Currently, car insurance proposal forms do not seek such details.

The Royal Sundaram form also seeks details such as the ‘purpose for which the car is used frequently' and the roads on which it is driven frequently (for instance city roads, highways and hilly areas). It asks the proposer to disclose parking information during the day and at night. It also seeks information about the parking lot, whether covered, open or roadside parking.

Asked whether this was the first step towards differential pricing of car insurance in India, Mr Ajay Bimbhet, Managing Director, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance, said: “Currently, the rating factors for arriving at the premium for private cars are contingent on cubic capacity, geography and the value of the vehicle. The Indian general insurance industry is yet to move to a situation where insurers will have the option of charging the right premium for the right risk. However, such an approach does exist in many of the mature markets. For instance, in some markets, premiums also take into account factors such as the gender and age of the insured and colour of the vehicle. In the current scenario, because of the paucity of data, the industry is unable to segment the risk comprehensively.

“This initiative is a step in this direction to collate comprehensive data in order to assess risks in the Indian market. This will also help us collect the requisite data to get a true picture of the prevalent trends amongst vehicle owners in our country and to ensure appropriate customer segmentation,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of differential pricing in car insurance, Dr Amarnath Ananthanarayanan, CEO, Bharti AXA General Insurance, replied, “Yes, we do expect the premium rates to go up for cars that result in higher losses for the insurance companies, while at the same time, they will most probably go down for cars that have a lower loss ratio.”

According to the 2008-09 IRDA data, insurers have issued 63.83 lakh policies for private cars and collected a premium of Rs 3,886 crore. One in five cars has a claims record and the total claims paid were Rs 2,337 crore against a total incurred claim of Rs 2,482 crore. The loss ratio for 2008-09 accounted for 64 per cent of the premium.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Sep 2010 00:06

India and China to explore cooperation in road building

Currently leading a high level business delegation of Indian companies to China, Kamal Nath is engaged in wooing Chinese investment to provide impetus to road building activities in India.
In the meeting, he sought to impress upon his Chinese counterpart that India, which aims at building 7,000 km of roads every year for the next few years, provides huge opportunities to the Chinese construction companies and financial institutions to enhance their engagement with India in road building sector, the release added.
China too has made rapid progress in infrastructure sector particularly highway development, the release said, quoting Li that China is presently engaged in building around 35,000 km of national highways of which 10,000 km is likely to be completed this year.

7000km of roads annually, wow, who is he kidding?

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 17 Sep 2010 10:35

Well, I welcome the chinese to build roads, because:

1. They CAN NOT be worse than the KPWD in building std.
2. They CAN deal with the bloodsucker babus (unlike the poor malaysian who killed himself)
3. They CAN NOT bug and booby trap the roads
4. Roads doesn't crash, explode or burn up.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 17 Sep 2010 10:46

Dileep wrote:2. They CAN deal with the bloodsucker babus (unlike the poor malaysian who killed himself)

Infact in Socialist Republic of Kerala, this might be actually a boon. Just because it is the Chinese who is building the roads, the commie goons (who are more Chinese than the Chinese themselves) may actually get down to work and help them out

. We may even get a four laned express way just because of the Chinese

. The only minor nit-pick would be that Mallus for the next 20 years would have to bear with the rhetoric that Chinese are better road builders than the Yindoos.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 17 Sep 2010 11:34

The only minor nit-pick would be that Mallus for the next 20 years would have to bear with the rhetoric that Chinese are better road builders than the Yindoos.

Oh, I would gladly sign that on a non-telgi stamp paper, if they build an expressway. I would even add that VS, Pinarayi, Kodiyeri, their goonda scions, and their girlfriends are the real saviours of SRK. No problem.

Anything for the darn road!

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 22 Sep 2010 08:33

And, when you have the road, the accidents increase hugely
This is about the stretch around Karur in TN. See some of the reasons attributed.

The development of major road stretches in Karur on all directions has induced drivers to rash driving, which is major reason behind the accidents. Consequent to the development of Karur-Namakkal, Karur-Dindugul and Karur-Coimbatore highway stretches the roads have become broad inviting the drivers to go at top speed.

While four lane roads are expected to minimize accidents many locals tend to drive up the wrong way and end up as sitting ducks to oncoming vehicles that ply at a great speed.

Another factor that contributes to the accidents is the use of mobile phones while driving.

While the State Transport Corporations decided to ban the use of mobile phones by its drivers while driving, authorities should also device a strategy to ban the use of mobiles by lorry drivers by clamping exemplary punishments on errant drivers .

On the Kulithalai-Karur-Coimbatore stretch hundreds of sand-laden lorries ply on a daily basis damaging the roads .

Obviously the lorries are overloaded and many a time the drivers are found in inebriated condition besides driving rashly.

Also they park their vehicles haphazardly putting at risk other road users.

“There are numerous TASMAC retail shops dotting the roadsides.

We would be happy and thankful if the highway patrols charge the drunken drivers heavily for drunken driving.

This will directly reduce the accident rate,” points out P.Shanmugam, a fleet operator belonging to Kaniyalampatti in Karur .

Shortage of drivers

Since there is huge shortage of truck drivers, many truck operators tend to employ anyone with a driving license and worse still there were many drivers who do not possess valid driving papers

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 22 Sep 2010 11:36

Oh, after some time, the gene pool will be depleted of those morons who drive the wrong way.

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 22 Sep 2010 20:42

There are clearly only two things to do. These are generally accepted techniques for traffic management followed everywhere in the world.

- Place barriers haphazardly on the road. Make sure to strip off their reflective paint so that they can't be seen easily at night.
- Put unmarked speedbreakers at random places on the road.

This will ensure that anyone with a bit of sense drives with utmost caution at all times.

They could also set the speed limit to something absurdly low, like 40 kmph, but no one follows that anyway.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 23 Sep 2010 14:39

Dileep wrote:Oh, after some time, the gene pool will be depleted of those morons who drive the wrong way.

I don't think that is even remotely possible cause the gene pool is so large, especially in CHennai and TN that it is like expecting predators to wipe out the wildbeast in Masai Mara due to overhunting.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Sep 2010 22:05

TOI-

India switches over to cleaner petrol, diesel
PTI, Sep 23, 2010, 05.50pm IST

NEW DELHI: The country has fully switched over to cleaner Euro-III and Euro-IV petrol and diesel as of yesterday and well ahead of the October one deadline, Minister of State for Petroleum Jitin Prasada said today.

"We launched Euro-IV grade petrol and diesel in 13 big cities from April 1 and Euro-III grade fuel was to be introduced in the rest of the country in phases by October one. We introduced Euro-III petrol and diesel in North Eastern states (the last of the regions) yesterday," he told reporters here.

With this, the launch of ultra low sulphur and benzene fuel has been completed ahead of schedule, he said. "The roll-over happened without a glitch. There are no disruptions of fuel (supplies) anywhere in the country."

When Euro-IV grade fuel was launched in April, petrol prices were increased by Rs 0.50 a litre and diesel by Rs 0.26 per litre. For introduction of Euro-III grade, petrol prices have been raised by Rs 0.26 per litre and diesel by Rs 0.21 a litre in phases as the fuels were introduced throughout the country.

"There will be no further increase in prices as a result of introduction of Euro-III fuel. Whatever had to be done, has already been done," Prasada said.

He said public sector firms spent over Rs 32,000 crore in upgrading refineries to produce higher quality fuel. "This (introduction of Euro-III and IV grade fuel) will considerably improve the air quality with reduction in emission of pollutants in fuels."

As against the approved scheduled of introducing Euro-III fuel by October one, introduction of higher grade petrol was advanced in 20 states and that of diesel in 23 states.

In the last leg, Bharat Stage-III (the India equivalent of Euro-III) petrol and diesel has been introduced in the seven North Eastern States on September 22, he said.

The government had already introduced BS-IV (the India equivalent of Euro-IV grade) petrol and diesel in all 13 identified cities (NCR of Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, Solapur, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad) on a single day effective April 1, 2010.

The Auto Fuel Policy had prescribed a road map for introduction of BS-IV and BS-III grades of petrol and diesel (equivalent to Euro -III and Euro-IV Petrol and Diesel) in the country.

Read more: India switches over to cleaner petrol, diesel - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/busi ... z10NBAmT3Y

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 28 Sep 2010 02:04

Sachin wrote:
Dileep wrote:2. They CAN deal with the bloodsucker babus (unlike the poor malaysian who killed himself)
Infact in Socialist Republic of Kerala, this might be actually a boon. Just because it is the Chinese who is building the roads, the commie goons (who are more Chinese than the Chinese themselves) may actually get down to work and help them out . We may even get a four laned express way just because of the Chinese . The only minor nit-pick would be that Mallus for the next 20 years would have to bear with the rhetoric that Chinese are better road builders than the Yindoos.

This is sad way of looking at the issue.

NDA govt started the GQ and NS/EW corridors and completed them in record times.

A smarter way for MMS to do this would be to make Rahul-baba the project manager for a new highway project or River Linking project ...

then all the pieces (at least in congress controlled states) will fall in place.

The problem is neither Rahul baba nor MMS are ready to do this...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Sep 2010 07:30

yuvraj could be the first ever cabinet minister and then PM who never held a responsible and accountable job in his life. party jobs CEOed by rajmata doesnt count.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 28 Sep 2010 07:40

GD,

That is the sad state of affairs. This is exactly what I meant when I said in JK thread "political training" can only take the likes of RG or OA so far. They are meant to fail without climbing the ladder of "responsibility/accountability"

To lead a resurgent india one needs both political as well as administrative accuman.

amit · Post by **amit** » 28 Sep 2010 13:59

Singha wrote:yuvraj could be the first ever cabinet minister and then PM who never held a responsible and accountable job in his life. party jobs CEOed by rajmata doesnt count.

Huh? Singha your memory is pretty short. How about Yuvraj's papa?

At least Yuvraj has been in politics longer than his papa was before becoming PM.

Note: This is, however, not to say that Yuvraj would make a good PM or Minister. This is just to point out he wouldn't be the first.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 28 Sep 2010 15:51

Well, papa was a pilot. What did beta do?

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 28 Sep 2010 23:04

I'm unable to understand why I still see women sweeping highways with brooms every day. They seem to keep sweeping the same dirt out onto the road, and I can see no mechanism for actually gathering this dirt into a container.

These are the same brooms -- probably more moth-eaten if anything -- that people use to sweep their homes. It's ludicrous to see them being used for road cleaning as well. I understand about employment generation etc, but some of the methods used in India for that goal are just absurd. Is there some kind of government rule that more mechanized street cleaning methods cannot be used?

I think these women -- and they're almost 100% women -- need only stand in place the whole day, and they'll be constantly busy sweeping the dirt kicked up by passing cars.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Sep 2010 11:15

yes and they take some risks without protective barriers and speeding cars nearby.

today I saw a couple guys doing some work below a flyover using a clumsy metal scaffold while a motorized basket and arm mounted on a truck
like the electricity people use would be so much faster, safer and easier. the guy in the basket can himself control its movement.

most of these things are oriented toward least cost , with no issue about productivity and timeline because the contractors know
once awarded, the Govt will seldom punish them for delays later.

1000cr is being spent on Blr ORR to create a bunch of flyovers, while constructing the ORR 7 years ago, if they had kept service roads and
underpasses properly this would have gotten done for 200cr. permits to builders and IT park developers were being handed out like
candy then, like it is now. so the prospect of 1.5L office goers and 1L new residents marauding on this daily could have been planned for.
by 2015, it will have 2.5L office goers. it is already india's largest IT cluster and getting bigger by the month. vrindavan tech village among
its 5 towers alone probably has millions of square feet coming online.

ORR +whitefield+ Elec city must be 4L now.... larger than the pop of a small city if one accounts for dependents and support workers in housing and offices.

they have not managed to put water into ORR, no police station for miles, improperly build service roads and interchanges, ....

Ameet · Post by **Ameet** » 04 Oct 2010 11:08

Jaipur to get India's first 3-deck track

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 676575.cms

With an aim to ease traffic congestion on busy Ajmer Road here, India's first three-deck elevated track, costing around Rs 200 crore, will be constructed with a metro line on top, officials said.

The ground level would be used for light vehicular traffic and Bus Rapid Transit System, while the first level will be for heavy vehicles. On deck three, a metro track will be laid.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 19 Oct 2010 08:50

Cross-post:
In the US, on the History Channel, on the show "Ice Road Truckers", they are covering the most dangerous roads and show three American truck drivers carrying cement and supplies on treacherous mountain roads from Chandigarh to Shimla.
http://www.history.com/shows/irt-deadli ... cing-fears

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 21 Dec 2010 09:30

Wanted: Zero Tolerance - Edit in The Hindu

A major consequence of fast-paced motorisation and expansion of roads and highways in India is the mounting rate of fatalities and injuries from traffic accidents. More than 110,000 people are killed on the roads each year, with the death toll rising by eight per cent annually; the estimate for serious injuries is 1.6 million. India's roads are now rated the worst in the world. Viewed against this background, the road safety initiative launched by the central government and the World Bank to cover 3,000 km of high-risk national and State highways in Assam, Gujarat, and Karnataka is an incremental step to improve the situation. Under the plan, affordable improvements based on the latest technologies will be put in place to reduce crashes and fatalities. The project will draw upon the experience of the International Road Assessment Programme supported by the World Bank in several countries. The investments can improve the safety record of some roads. What is important, however, is for the government to demonstrate the political will to move beyond limited schemes in a few States. The continuing carnage demands a policy of zero tolerance to crashes covering the entire network of 65,000-plus km of national highways and the quarter million km of urban roads. Almost three years ago, the Sundar Committee recommended a national road safety policy but precious little has been done by way of implementation.

There is no justification for delayed action on road safety when the national economic loss on account of death and disability from accidents is officially reckoned to be of the order of Rs.75,000 crore a year. Research on the challenge facing India points to specific areas that need urgent action. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and non-motorised vehicle users constitute 60 per cent of those killed on urban roads; and motorcyclists and small car users make up 25 per cent. Unsurprisingly, there is a disproportionate involvement of trucks and buses in fatal crashes, highlighting a key problem. These data point to the need for segregation of vulnerable road users and appropriate traffic calming measures to reduce risk. Equally, scientific design of roads and vehicles can reduce conflicting interactions among road users and mitigate the consequences of accidents. There should be a sincere attempt to analyse such data emerging from studies conducted by injury prevention researchers in the country. The Sundar Committee has rightly pointed out that the State transport departments, which now play the relatively minor role of licensing and vehicle registration, should be made legally responsible for coordination of multi-sectoral safety. The time to act is now.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 22 Dec 2010 10:04

SSridhar, Try telling this to the worthies who drive in TN and outskirts of CHennai, the moment the toll road is hit, every Indica cab and Sumo has try and touch its maximum speed and has to be the fastest car on the road- regardless of the state of the Brakes and tyres

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Dec 2010 10:41

COST - blocking off all "cuttings" in median with a higher median/fence and providing a off/on ramp and underpasses every two kilometers is a huge additional cost. head on collisions between errant wrong side drivers/sneakers from the median are almost always fatal.

also we would need a highway police to collar and fine rash and overspeeding drivers instantly.

all in all, 1000s of crores of new infra and highway police needed - do we have the political stomach for it - probably not.

in most NHAi highways I have not even seen blinking lights and dedicated long buffer U-turn lanes & u-turn merge lanes to make the U-turn process less of a crap shoot. the two carriageways need be separated wider at the U-turn points to permit this to happen...its cheaper to build right through and ignore this!

cheap cheap cheap thats the onlee motto.

saip · Post by **saip** » 22 Dec 2010 11:00

Do we have highway police at all? I see people - tractors, trucks, school buses - driving in the opposite direction all the time because they never want to make a U-turn. It needs not just money -- a lot of political will.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 22 Dec 2010 20:52

The biggest risk today in India to your life is to be on the road, it is not the polluted water or even the communicable diseases or lack of 24/7 power and water. In all these 20 years of driving, each time I visit India we have had very close calls. We had 3 such close calls on the Coimbatore-Salem highway even when doing a safe 70-80kmph on empty stretch of the road due to people and local traffic darting in at these crossings with no thought to their own lives forget others.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 23 Dec 2010 11:06

Bade_> one more thing I always feel much more unsafe with when Hiring a car with Driver(In India we do not have choice of hiring a car without driver) especially when the driver is under 30-35 years. 2 reasons for this
1) The drivers of Tourist vehicles under 35 seem to me to take an unreasonable amount of risk and do not belive in laws of physics and concepts like braking distance
2) Most of these vehicles which run 60-70000KM a year dont have tyre changes couple with Brake DIsk/ rotor changes when they should be done, they tend to try and get maximum life from Tyres, Brake Pad/rotors.

That being said, even young Bike, Car drivers seem to take an unacceptabily high degree of risk, auto fellas - well they are on a anther planet altogether.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 23 Dec 2010 11:07

I think road safety is one issue that every politician across the board will agree on. When we talk of political will, I somehow do not see any major people movement to let the people at the top know that we want it. Similarly, apart from the infrastructure front, inculcating road sense should be a national aim.

India's highways are dotted with villages, and I am sure numerous hours must have been spent on how best to tackle their own rural traffic. It'll be practically impossible to shift villages away from the highway's path, which would mean taking them away from their agricultural land and other means of income. You ban their bullock carts or tractors on the highways, then how do they travel or transport their produce? You ask them to use the local roads, then are there any? And so on and so forth. Thus, keeping with these constraints, an important mandate of NHAI should be to ensure that villages on the highway are schooled on highway safety, the dangers of driving your tractor/truck/cart on the wrong side of the highway, and parents keeping their children from running to and fro unfettered. Many kids die this way.

I know the theme of the moment is all the bad things that don't allow us to drive, but absolutely shitty driving is another great Indian quality, and this needs to be tackled as well. One thing that all Indian drivers lack is patience, and respect for the other guy on the street. Road accidents are not just because of a cow on the highway, but rash driving as well. Its like an unforced error in tennis, even if the other player's crap, its still your fault. Its so easy in most states (all states?) to pay a tout and get your license without any test that its just plain dangerous. These are the drivers who drive all the Innovas and Scorpios with you fine gentlemen coming back to the motherland.

I agree with Singha that cost is the biggest driver in road projects in India. On a well-planned highway in India, highways have been provided with regular underpasses/overpasses for rural traffic to cross. Similarly, when a highway runs through a large village or town, they have built a flyover. When a highway is running through a city, bypasses have been created to divert the highway to run around the city. But these will only work when there is awareness created to use these facilities.