Indian Roads Thread

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 25 Jul 2012 02:58

While I agree with you Theo, grand fathering can raise issues, since common public utilities are now getting cross subsidized for the local people by the new entrants. That is high way robbery.

The good effect of unilateral rise of taxes would be people who cannot afford to live in the now affluent neighborhoods will have to move out. It also will dampen the speculative bubble as now higher amount has to be paid in annual taxes. Rentals will also go through the roof as a result, which will benefit the owners and bring about more overall balance.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 26 Jul 2012 05:57

India added 1.25 lakh km of roads per year in last 8 years.

The government's push to give more accessibility to rural areas and improve old roads continues to gain strength. In the past eight years, at least 1.25 lakh km per year was added to India's road network. Moreover, the percentage of surfaced road - both concrete and bituminous - has increased significantly from 49% in 2008 to 54% in 2012.

The latest data compiled by the road transport and highways ministry shows that the total length of roads till 2012 stands at 47 lakh against 37.2 lakh in 2004. While there has been increase in all categories of roads, major growth has been registered in the rural roads category, says the soon to be released report.

"There has been major increase in the construction of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and stretches built by local bodies like zila parishad. We are getting better quality roads. While the road length has increased, the percentage of surfaced stretch has also gone up. PMGSY roads are all surfaced stretches while other local roads are both surfaced and unsurfaced," said a ministry official.

There has also been an increase in the length of national highways (NH). While it was 70,000 km in 2008, it increased to 76,818 km in 2012. "But there is nothing to feel great when we are trying to compete with China. Nearly 70,000 km length in China is access-controlled highway whereas our focus has been to provide some kind of link -- whether surfaced or unsurfaced - to different parts of the country," said a government official.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 30 Jul 2012 16:47

Anther tragedy on Indian roads driven mainly EGO boost which makes people belive thier control of vehicle exceeds the laws of Physics.

8-month pregnant banker dies in Noida car crash

"As the Polo turned right to enter Noida from NIB traffic signal on NH-24, the Mahindra vehicle carrying newspapers rammed the car from the opposite side. The Mahindra was doing more than 100 km/hr and rolled over twice after the crash," a senior police official investigating the case said.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 01 Aug 2012 09:19

mmm.. even one could make a better mask for our road users, one could make billions.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 01 Aug 2012 10:23

SaiK wrote:mmm.. even one could make a better mask for our road users, one could make billions.

. This mask I guess is mainly not for protecting the nose (or respiratory system), it is protect the "fair skin" from sun. BTW, noticed an irritating add which negates the concept of helmets as well. One bafoon using the outer shell of a water melon, in an attempt to evade traffic policemen. Some helmet company should take a cue from this and have another ad in which this fellow with a watermelon helmet meets with an accident and gets a good head injury. They can also play the same irritating song which the "water melon" ad plays

.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 09 Aug 2012 01:12

Bus Plunges Into Gorge, Killing 31 People in India

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/08 ... .html?_r=1

GAUHATI, India (AP) — A crowded passenger bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a gorge in India's remote northeast Wednesday, killing at least 31 people, police said. State police chief N. Ramachandran said another 34 passengers were injured in the predawn accident in Tongseng village in Meghalaya state. The bus was heading to Gauhati, the main city in neighboring Assam state, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and it plunged into the gorge. Seven people with critical injuries were moved to a big hospital in the nearby town of Silchar, police said. Ramachandran said around 65 people were traveling in the 40-seater bus. Police figures show India has the world's highest road death toll, with more than 110,000 people dying each year in accidents commonly caused by overcrowding, speeding, and poor vehicle and road maintenance

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Aug 2012 15:44

New Delhi: The Delhi-Agra Yamuna Expressway was inaugurated on Thursday and opens to traffic from 4 pm. The 165-km long Yamuna Expressway connecting Greater Noida with Agra cuts down the Delhi-Agra journey time to half.

One can now head from India Gate in New Delhi to the Taj Mahal in Agra in just two-and-a-half hours. The state government has given approval to the toll rates at Rs 2.10 per km for cars and light motor vehicles (LMVs) with three toll plazas at 38 km, 95 km and 150 km points. A round-trip in a single day will cost one around Rs 510.
The total length of the Expressway is 165.537 km from Greater Noida zero point till NH2 at Agra with a 100 metre width or right of way.

There are six interchanges, 70 underpasses, 75 cart track underpasses, 41 minor bridges and 182 culverts.
At five places the Expressway promoter Jaypee group will develop integrated townships on 500 hectare land each, the sources said, adding, they will be at Noida, Jaganpur, Mirzapur, Tappal (Aligarh) and Kuber(Agra).

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 09 Aug 2012 18:37

YE looks TFTA. Visit SSC to have a look.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Aug 2012 19:59

Will take this road next month during India trip. Good they opened it sooner than what was rumored.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Aug 2012 20:30

finally my trip to agra and sikri can happen...soothing cloverleafs with proper (finally!) radius of curvature...BLR sets the bar so low there that anything else looks good.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Aug 2012 20:53

Checking on google maps will reveal that there is nothing much along that alignment for Yamuna Expressway, other than farm land. Even the durgapur expressway from years ago looked very TFTA, almost like driving in the midwest with vast open stretches, from pics in SSC.

I briefly lost track of time, the trip is in two weeks. But will be in Kerala on Independence day.

My sources tell me that the road to Munnar is in good shape from Kochi side. So will have to do that and the houseboat to get bragging rights as a local, after all these years of living/visiting next to it.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Aug 2012 21:55

How did the guy on a bicyle get on an expressway ?

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 10 Aug 2012 15:34

Bade wrote: My sources tell me that the road to Munnar is in good shape from Kochi side. So will have to do that and the houseboat to get bragging rights as a local, after all these years of living/visiting next to it.

Touch wood!!

We are seeing cloudbursts left and right here these days. Rain falls like someone emptied a huge bucket up there in the sky. I am REALLY concerned about the hills these days.

Touch Wood!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Aug 2012 16:29

strange undulations in the highway there...

Aditya Watts · Post by **Aditya Watts** » 10 Aug 2012 20:16

Bade wrote:
How did the guy on a bicyle get on an expressway ?

Is that a bicycle lane or a service lane?
Also interesting is the fact that the expressway has a minimum speed limit. So I am seriously wondering what's the deal with the section where the person on the bicycle is riding.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Aug 2012 21:58

the side corrugated fencing can easily be climbed over by a person and cycle. either he got in that way or could be a construction/toll booth worker or service provider like brings their tea or something!

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 10 Aug 2012 23:25

As long as the villagers don't release their cows to feed on the green green grass......

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 10 Aug 2012 23:41

Theo_Fidel wrote:As long as the villagers don't release their cows to feed on the green green grass......

Have they made good accessible underpasses so that cows can go through to their feeding grounds or are they 25 kilometres away as they usually are?

If not, I am with the villagers on this.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 11 Aug 2012 06:02

Just guessing, but the undulations could be exactly that. Either they are culverts or some kind of walkable tunnels for animals and men. One can see some kind of tapered berm near the undulations at the far edge of the road.

Dileep, yes it seems like is was raining quite heavy today in your area from the local weather report gathered via a phone call. Hope it does not wash away my vacation plans entirely, having to stay cooped up at home.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 11 Aug 2012 09:42

165 km and 70 underpasses, 75 cart track underpasses ...

that works to around 1 for every km. so avg distance would be around 500m...doable - if people are willing to diligently follow the law. if not, anything can happen...like a buffalo wandering in front of a speeding 3-axle bus .... the buffalo will become keema from the impact, but the bus itself could veer off and crash with fatalities as the driver could be wounded and lose control.

anupmisra · Post by **anupmisra** » 12 Aug 2012 03:08

Aditya Watts wrote:Is that a bicycle lane or a service lane? Also interesting is the fact that the expressway has a minimum speed limit. So I am seriously wondering what's the deal with the section where the person on the bicycle is riding.

At least he is riding in the right direction. Give him that much credit.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 14 Aug 2012 15:05

Travelled from Bangalore to Pazhani on NH7 through Salem and Dindigul. I am impressed with NHAI's work. Much better than what I expected.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 14 Aug 2012 16:04

Hope you had a good time. Did you go on the cable car to the top? Apparently there is a project to connect Pazhani with the other hills nearby.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 16 Aug 2012 18:12

I climbed the steps but I could see the cable car parked at the top. Do they have specific timings for operating it? I couldn't see it in operation for the entire day.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 16 Aug 2012 22:14

How close are we to establishing some road construction standards to start looking at maasan standards and begin comparisons.. meaning, chippanda club is just focused on improve road infra to match khaans.. and on the railways, they are going beat the hell out of any nation on the planet. It is a wise decision by chippanda for roads and railways.. we have to grow at least with chippanda as comparison, 'coz something in the neighborhood to fight with.

also, not only highways, but other regular roads and interconnections needs a bigger investment.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 17 Aug 2012 18:24

Dilbu wrote:I climbed the steps but I could see the cable car parked at the top. Do they have specific timings for operating it? I couldn't see it in operation for the entire day.

Yes I think they do have specific times when it goes up. But quite often they do shut down for maintenance as well. I had to walk up last year.

The approach to the town is beautiful and the scenery at the top is great too. You can see the other hill temples nearby too.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 17 Aug 2012 22:05

SaiK,

From experience standards are not the entire problem. It is an issue for certain specialized non-standard equipment like sensors and finishes and fire equipment. I had a doozy of a time with vibration/contamination rated door equipment and hardware. Indian Roads Congress is quite good about establishing reference quality. The problem is getting Munna and Munni contractor to understand what they are reading and adhere to contract documents. Documents call for 5" concrete and Munna pours 3" concrete. Documents call for radiused curb and Munni installs shabby hand troweled cement curb. There is no culture of quality amongst the construction crews. Its getting a little better recently however. The sliding gate I spec'd got installed perfectly because the manufacturer sent his own crew out there. I was surprised at how perfectly it was installed, there is come really high skill labor out there. Now how to separate the chaff from the grain.....

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 21 Aug 2012 20:52

Taking road to danger
Commuters blatantly flout norms on Taranwala pul
GS Paul
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 20
At a time when the multi-lane overbridge on the Taranwala pul has solved the traffic chaos to an extent, commuters are taking rules for a ride putting their lives at risk. Commuters using the elevated road, which connects with the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road, flout norms at will in the absence of any check. The Tribune team today took a round of the key-points of the bridge and found blatant traffic violations.

With no traffic police present at those places, the commuters openly flouted norms while driving on the Taranwala over-bridge.

Moreover, loaded trucks and ten-wheel tourist buses take the route to cross the Bhandari bridge that is banned for entry of heavy vehicles.

“People do stop their vehicles in the midway to have a chat with their known ones while youngsters practise stunts on the road,” said Naresh Kumar, a resident.

Another resident Gurpartap Singh said though the multi-lane bridges had curtailed the travelling time, it would be better if the police carry out regular patrolling to check violations on the bridge.

He said, “If truck operators fix wooden planks on the cargo to double the capacity of passengers, then bus operators carry passengers on roofs to maximise their profits”.

Officials blamed scant staff and resources as a main hindrance in streamlining the traffic scenario. Sources said there were 165 policemen, including two inspectors, 25 sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors, 115 head constables and constables and 22 Punjab Home Guards (PHG) jawans, who are engaged for the traffic system of the holy city.

ACP Karanbir Singh said, “We are short of strength, but all these locations need a constant vigil.”

Around 9,000 vehicles enter the city daily from the neighbouring states and the additional traffic flow is of the pilgrims who visit Golden Temple daily. Despite having limited staff and resources, we do our best to manage it all, he said.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 22 Aug 2012 01:09

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/inter ... .html?_r=1

Mile by Mile, India Paves a Smoother Road to Its Future

NEW DELHI, India - In the middle of the old Grand Trunk Road a temple sits under a peepul tree. The surrounding highway is being widened to four lanes, and vehicles barrel along either side. But the temple and tree thwart even greater speed, and a passing contractor says they soon will be removed.Kali, Hindu goddess of destruction, thinks otherwise. She is angry, say the colorfully garbed women massing in the holy tree's dappled shade. As evidence, they point to one woman's newly pockmarked face and other mysterious ailments recently visited on their nearby village, Jagdishrai. They have tried to convince Kali that the tree and temple devoted to her must go, but they have failed. Now they have no choice but to oppose the removal, too, even if they must block the road to do it.Goddess versus man, superstition versus progress, the people versus the state - mile by mile, India is struggling to modernize its national highway system, and in the process, itself.
The Indian government has begun a 15-year project to widen and pave some 40,000 miles of narrow, decrepit national highways, with the first leg, budgeted at $6.25 billion, to be largely complete by next year. It amounts to the most ambitious infrastructure project since independence in 1947 and the British building of the subcontinent's railway network the century before. The effort echoes the United States' construction of its national highway system in the 1920's and 1950's. The arteries paved across America fueled commerce and development, fed a nation's auto obsession and created suburbs. They also displaced communities and helped sap mass transit and deplete inner cities.Aryan migration, Mogul conquest, British colonialism - all shaped India's civilization over centuries. Now, in a span of less than 15 years, capitalism and globalization have convulsed India at an unprecedented rate of change.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 22 Aug 2012 02:21

^^^
from 2005! really!

manish · Post by **manish** » 22 Aug 2012 10:51

^^The article is in circulation 'cause it was quoted in another article critical of Indian (and other governments') focus on road infra investments. The article argued that the investments should instead have been directed into improving our power grids. The article is here.

Interestingly, instead of investing in the powergrid, India embarked earlier last decade on a massive highway project, known as the Great Quadrilateral. This created a kind of grand, national circular whose “four and six-lane, 3,625 miles run through 13 states and India's four largest cities: New Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai (formerly Madras), and Mumbai (formerly Bombay),” according to a 2005 New York Times article. The piece continues, describing the ongoing, 15-year effort (to be completed this year) as “the most ambitious infrastructure project since independence in 1947 and the British building of the subcontinent's railway network the century before.”

Alas, the irony is rich. India conceived of this highway project as oil prices hit deep lows at the end of the past millennium. Now that the highway network is constructed and oil prices have more than quadrupled, it is massive investment in the powergrid that hundreds of millions of Indians so desperately need instead—not road building.

IMHO, the article's author has got it wrong wrt India. Our grids do require a lot more investment, but just not at the cost of our (largely non-existent) road networks.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 22 Aug 2012 12:41

Traveled to native and back in the holidays. It is really a miracle that blood is not flowing on our streets and brains are not splattered on windshields.

Almost nobody wears helmet. And everybody overtakes on a blind curve. It is like an American football match. EVERY INCH HAS TO BE FOUGHT FOR...

There's a bus in front of you. You give some space. And bang..some car squeezes in front with complete disregard that you are there and that it does not make sense to get in front of me because all you are doing with such a risky maneuver is..getting in front of me. People are such idiots.

There was this particular idiot in a Scoda Rapid who rashly overtook me near Kuduvanchery (Chennai outskirts). And every few mins there would be a bottle neck and he would be stopped and I would arrive a few cars behind him. As soon as it clears, the bugger would scoot here and there, jumping lanes and bullying people with horns and lights. And he clears everybody by swerving left and right and then there's another bottle neck. This happened for a good hr until we both reached a tambaram signal side by side.

I pulled down windows and said he should really look into Queuing theory.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 22 Aug 2012 15:22

GUs> generally with such Skoda rapid guys, they have taken soo much risk, braked gone over bumps, that both the vehicle and driver, passeger fatigue is so much that they are easily overtaken on Highways and need more breaks along the way. i.e that is if they not killed or got killed in the process before that

Its kind of like Intra day trading/ short seeling done by Induviduals at Office, lots of risk for little reward.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 23 Aug 2012 11:09

I am stuck at home in KL and fearful of venturing out anywhere on the roads with maniacs all around. Many are free to roam the streets and highways as there is very little space to put them in 'Ollampara' mental home. A good majority of the population will qualify as mental cases. If the highly literate state is in such form I shudder to think of the neighboring states where life and limb are valued even less from past experiences. All this with just having to sit as a spectator in the car.

Was in Trissur town the day before, and had to do a U-turn to catch the right turn from the trissur-shornur road within town limits near the thiruvanmabdi temple. The driver ji (very experienced gelf returnee) decided to go up the ramp to the parking area for roadside shops and ended up scraping the bottom of the 'moota' Santro. The sidewalks and roads and drains are designed with no logic at all. People have their driveways built with sharp edges protruding right on to the roads, and do not follow the road countour. Life sucks in Yindia. Even Africa will beat India in a few decades at this rate.

In our apt complex where space is even tight, I saw BMWs, big laudas (oops skodas)

and mercs parked. This place is strange and not meant for massa munnas like me with my santro. People upgrade every few years, and my santro is older than many gelf +2 wallahs who own better vehicles, major H&D issues only.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 23 Aug 2012 11:50

^^^

Such mental cases abound in the country. Sometimes I wonder, if they feel that their life is to heavy a burden and thne must get rid of it only.

The call center cabbie crowd is the worst offenders IMO.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 23 Aug 2012 12:13

Bade wrote:Was in Trissur town the day before, and had to do a U-turn to catch the right turn from the trissur-shornur road within town limits near the thiruvanmabdi temple.

This town also has another dubious distinction. In the "round" which is the centre of the town, the vehicles park right next to the so called speed lane. The vehicles are parked on the right side of the road, near the grounds of the Vadakkunnathan temple. The shops etc. are on the left hand side of the road. The right part of the road is generally used by vehicles with an increased speed, and suddely the driver would find a car backing out from the parking areas

.

Why this ridiculous practise was started? Because the owners of the shops on the left side did not want vehicles to remain parked right in front of their shops. And most of the vehicles during the yesteryears belonged to these very same shop keepers.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 23 Aug 2012 12:25

Indica cabs are annoying but less dangerous. IMO, the most dangerous car in Indian roads is Innova cab.

Typically, they ply long distance and they drive back all angry, annoyed, in a hurry and fatigued with zero patience for a nano second delay. They would overtake you from the right as you are overtaking another vehicle. If there is no space on the right, they swerve to your left as you are moving left after overtaking. They would also cut multiple lanes to squeeze in front of you at toll booths.

I am seriously thinking of carrying steel pipe and 'aruvaal' in the car for any road rage escalation from idiot drivers. Also some stones that i can throw at on oncoming traffic - where a car swerves to your lane and bullies you by flashing hi beams.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 23 Aug 2012 12:47

And they never apologize for bad behaviour, got into a mini fight once with these guys. when you using airport taxi and cab service, the ego of these guys is unbelivable, although there is a % of safe drivers, the Unsafe drivers in this group is very high

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Aug 2012 14:34

the airport/taxi cab drivers drive themselves very hard to make money, keeping long hrs and having to queue there for hrs to get a chance in the line.
another tired set of drivers is "pilgrim" carrying tempo traveller or innova types late at night. bunches of pilgrims tend to travel over multiple places , often pushing the limits in terms of travelling late at night to save a day or cover one more place.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 23 Aug 2012 21:02

If I think the guy is going to try and overtake dangerously on the left I will turn on my left blinkers. That usually cools his blood for a sec or so
so he decides to overtake normally.

In the USA if you drive wildly the other drivers will gang up on you and deliberately slow you down or impede you, esp. big rig types.