Indian Roads Thread

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 28 Jun 2010 17:07

^^^^
When driving in from Socialist Republic to Bengaluru, currently after Avanashi the only town you see was Salem. The toll road was not ready in this stretch and folks had to enter a small part of Salem (there was a kind of a round-about). So is the news report now saying that this stretch is also complete and Salem town would be bye-passed as well? (like Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri et.al).

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 28 Jun 2010 20:28

Even the AIIMS interchange in New Delhi had/has signage issues. The best option would be continuous signage on a lane-by-lane basis, so people know which lane to get into, in order to make a particular exit. But that was not done. Instead, all destinations were just listed, and the exits were marked with the respective names and arrows. The result would be crowding at the exits, since people realize they now need to change lanes to get off. I don't know if the signage has improved, but it was like this in 2007 or so.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Jun 2010 09:44

http://www.bsmotoring.com/news/volkswag ... y-6/2268/1

Honda City rival to make its India entry next week
By:BSM desk |Published :June 28, 2010
The wait for the Vento is finally coming to an end. Come July 6 and Volkswagen will launch the Vento in India, taking this Polo based sedan straight into the territory of the recently launched facelifted Hyundai Verna Transform and Honda's chart busting City.

The Vento is likely to start above Rs 7 lakh with the top end versions going above Rs 9 lakh. With 50 mm of extra wheelbase over the Polo, it means there is more space on the inside and those who cribbed about the Polo's lack of rear legroom might appreciate its sedan sibling.

Motive power for the car will come from two engines - a diesel and a petrol. While the petrol powered motor will be a 1.6-litre engine, producing 105 bhp (the same as the one on the BSIII Jetta), the diesel motor might be a 1.6-litre, common rail four-cylinder engine with 105 bhp. Incidentally, this engine is also found in the Polo Cup Racers in India that are tuned to produce 130 bhp. Volkswagen might offer both manual and automatic options, the latter being a six-speed DSG gearbox.

On the inside there is wee bit more space, better seats and more shoulder and headroom. Features-wise, the car has new controls on the dashboard and a new design steering wheel with more chrome inserts all around than the Polo.

The car will be assembled in Volkswagen's plant in Chakan, Pune, where it will be built alongside the Polo and Skoda Fabia hatchbacks. BS Motoring was the first to report on the Vento as far back as July 2007, when Volkswagen had announced its plans on making an entry into India. With this car, Volkswagen will have seven models on offer in India, ranging from the Polo, Vento, New Beetle, Jetta, Passat, Touareg and Phaeton.

satyam · Post by **satyam** » 02 Jul 2010 01:43

Delhi world’s fifth worst city for commuters: study

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 495242.ece

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Jul 2010 10:54

A German accident victim awaits justice

She was knocked down from her motorbike by a tractor while cruising down the East Coast Road near Auroville. The tractor was being driven without the headlights turned on and had suddenly appeared out of a side lane. “I only saw him the moment he hit me,” she says. {Another factor could very well be that vehicles entering a main road from side lanes assume they have the right of way and don't even look for traffic. They take a left - or, even a right - turn without a care in the world.}

She was flung about six metres away and the vehicle drove over her. And is as often the case, the driver scooted immediately, leaving Birgitta bleeding profusely on the road.

Unlike most hit-and-run cases, where the offender goes scot-free as he is never caught, Birgitta feels zeroing in on the driver knocked her down shouldn’t be that difficult. “Everyone who employs workers from Bommairpalayam (the site of the accident) could be asked to identify the driver. Inquiries on who in this village or in neighbouring ones owns a tractor with a large two-axe hanger could be found out,” she reasons. She reveals that despite having registered a case at the Auroville police station on March 30, she had not heard from the cops as yet.{This is the other problem. Police not doing their duty}

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Jul 2010 12:32

this kind of merge-now look-later is the default behaviour of bangalore bikers. I have narrowly escaped both damage to my car
and hitting them many a time. they never stop or yield to anyone. initially I had a tough time as yielding to them meant a endless weight. ultimately wife persuaded me to just push the car out and dare them. seems to work.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 08 Jul 2010 13:38

Singha wrote:ultimately wife persuaded me to just push the car out and dare them. seems to work.

Offence is the best defence sir ! Yielding or waiting for another person to pass is a grave insult to the Indian driver. The lower he is in the spectrum of social order, this attitude becomes more prevalent. The busiest man, who has no time to yield or wait patiently is the autorickshaw driver, followed by the cab driver and then perhaps motor cycle riders.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 08 Jul 2010 15:32

DARE is the word! You just inch into the path, till there is absolutely no gap for the guy to go around. He will then stop and glare at you. Yloou ignore him and drive off.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 12 Jul 2010 08:11

NH67, Tiruchi-Karur section enters a crucial stage

On one side of the existing road, the Cauvery runs almost to two-thirds of length while the Tiruchi-Karur railway track abuts the stretch on the other side. Not to be left behind the South Bank Canal runs parallel to the road from near Perugamani in Tiruchi district to Chinthalavadi in Karur district.

Though the scheduled completion date is July end, the challenges have forced a time over-run of nearly eight more months.

Besides land acquisition, major hurdles faced in executing the project include construction of a grade separator with an adjoining road over-bridge that elongates well into the river to come back and land in main road alignment.

Work on that is about to begin.

The project features four-laning for a length of 23 km and two-lane paved shoulders for a distance of 57 km. Service roads are to be laid for more than 11 km.

Three by pass stretches -to skirt Tiruchi, Kulithalai and Karur towns -would be developed to facilitate racy motoring. Around 10 under passes, 11 minor bridges and five major bridges along with three road overbridges give an idea of the challenges involved.

vic · Post by **vic** » 12 Jul 2010 20:31

I don’t know where to discuss this, so here it is!

As I understand that a Rail-line is being built to connect J&K to rest of Indian mainland. IIRC that midway there was some major dispute about alignment. So what is the present status? Has the re-alignment been done properly or just partially to save the H&D of some people? I was reading that there was a proposal to even drop the world’s highest bridge in favor of drilling through the mountains? Can somebody who is better informed discuss this?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 12 Jul 2010 21:28

why is this in the roads thread ? search for the rail thread and read it up.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 14 Jul 2010 01:06

"Offence is the best defence sir ! Yielding or waiting for another person to pass is a grave insult to the Indian driver. "

Why, where do these attitudes come from? The kind of courtesy you see in Canada, for example, is probably impossible in a country like India, with narrower roads, more vehicles, more types of vehicles, and less or no signage. Mexico and Nigeria are reportedly as bad.

But even with these limitations, there's room for more consideration and courtesy. It may take some kind of citizen's movement.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 15 Jul 2010 07:43

Varoon Shekhar wrote:"Offence is the best defence sir ! Yielding or waiting for another person to pass is a grave insult to the Indian driver. "

Why, where do these attitudes come from?

It comes from a couple of sources. One, in India, there is severe competition for everything and most people therefore want to use any means to get ahead of others. Two, there is little enforcement of law and huge corruption on top of that. People know that they can commit a murder and still get away easily. Three, there is an utter lack of common sense, civic sense, and safety. These are generic issues. Specific to driving, there may be a few other issues such as liberal issuing of licences, RTOs (Regional Transport Officers) themselves being unaware of road rules or traffic signs, availability of modern vehicles but with poor road infrastructure etc.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 15 Jul 2010 08:27

Suraj wrote:Even the AIIMS interchange in New Delhi had/has signage issues. The best option would be continuous signage on a lane-by-lane basis, so people know which lane to get into, in order to make a particular exit. But that was not done. Instead, all destinations were just listed, and the exits were marked with the respective names and arrows. The result would be crowding at the exits, since people realize they now need to change lanes to get off. I don't know if the signage has improved, but it was like this in 2007 or so.

Now now, where are the lanes in and around the AIIMS flyover hain ji? I don't remember the road builders having bothered to put any paint on the road.

In fact in any given city in India, the number of roads which have lanes marked out can probably be counted on one's fingers compared to the huge number without any markings whatsoever.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 15 Jul 2010 08:31

vic wrote:I don’t know where to discuss this, so here it is!

As I understand that a Rail-line is being built to connect J&K to rest of Indian mainland. IIRC that midway there was some major dispute about alignment. So what is the present status? Has the re-alignment been done properly or just partially to save the H&D of some people? I was reading that there was a proposal to even drop the world’s highest bridge in favor of drilling through the mountains? Can somebody who is better informed discuss this?

I have a post in the google earth thread showing the stations, the 4 sections of the railway, possible new alignment, and the changed locations of the bridge on the Jhelum. This is OT for this thread.
The world's highest bridge has indeed been abandoned, after the pillars leading upto the main bridge had been constructed, mostly because of the nature of the soil there. There were frequent landslides during rains in that area. As it is the area around ramban, mostly is mud hills which come down whenever it rains. With the alignement changed they also decided to shift the bridge 1 Km upstream and now it is much lower than before.

It is all there in that google earth page.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Jul 2010 09:00

Gagan wrote:Now now, where are the lanes in and around the AIIMS flyover hain ji? I don't remember the road builders having bothered to put any paint on the road.

In fact in any given city in India, the number of roads which have lanes marked out can probably be counted on one's fingers compared to the huge number without any markings whatsoever.

Gagan, here are a few pics of the interchange from my old gallery, dating back 4-7 years ago, with the lanes visible:
pic1
pic2
pic3
There are lanes and exit signs, but not lane-by-lane gantry signage, which would have helped. Did they resurface the interchange recently, and not repaint the lanes right ? Or did the lanes just become obscured from the traffic ?

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 18 Jul 2010 07:56

Higher premium for road traffic violations planned in Chennai

Violation of traffic rules with just not stop with a spot fine. If the traffic enforcement plan of the Chennai Police takes shape, violation of road traffic rules will result in the increase of insurance premium and could even go to the extent of cancellation of ‘no claim bonus.'

For habitual offenders, suspension of driving licence and confiscation of their vehicles is on the anvil.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Ravi said traffic discipline in Chennai is set to scale new heights with the police contemplating to link traffic violations with insurance premiums.

Mr. Ravi said he was aware that many vehicle users tried to bring pressure on traffic police when they were caught violating rules of the Motor Vehicles Act.

“They immediately try to wield their influence by calling somebody on their mobile phones. For a fine of Rs. 50 to Rs. 100, the accused persons drop names. We have given clear instructions to police at all levels to go ahead to impose penalty on any person violating the law…there shall be no compromise in this regard. Even government vehicles will not be exempted,” he added. {The Traffic CP must instruct all vehicle owners to remove the the party flags from the cars. Normally, whenever such cars are seen, police and the public bear with their violations for fear of violent retribution. These party cars are the biggest menace in TN. I haven't seen this phenomenon, to that extent at least, in other states}

manish · Post by **manish** » 19 Jul 2010 14:23

SSridhar wrote: {The Traffic CP must instruct all vehicle owners to remove the the party flags from the cars. Normally, whenever such cars are seen, police and the public bear with their violations for fear of violent retribution. These party cars are the biggest menace in TN. I haven't seen this phenomenon, to that extent at least, in other states}

I too have noticed this in TN. There are so many SUVs/MUVs with flags on them that one may be led to believe that only political parties were allowed to own those. One could perhaps even play a game of 'Spot-a-non-flag-bearing-SUV' game to keep oneself occupied during long journeys!

During a recent l journey on ECR I saw a minor scrap between a Scorpio with the ruling party's flag on it and an 'ordinary' car - several heavy set guys got down and were in the process of hauling up the other car's driver as we drove by...

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 19 Jul 2010 15:59

SSridhar wrote:Higher premium for road traffic violations planned in Chennai

This is the need of the hour. The Motor Vehicle Act's stipulated fines are pea-nuts

. Especially for stuff like jumping signals, parking violations, speeding etc. Jacked up Insurance premiums are the only way to make regular offenders get some sense knocked into their heads. In Socialist Republic Private bus fleets are a regular menace. The arrogance also increases because the bus owners offers support to the driving crew. Jacked up insurance premiums, plus very harsh punishements meted out to the crew are the only way to tackle the menace. The bus owners and drivers may not know the value of life, but they will surely know the value of money

.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 24 Jul 2010 16:55

X-post from 'Autos' thread

Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection being mooted

The Federation of Automotive Dealers Associations (FADA) along with the Federation of Automotive Manufacturers is set to launch its voluntary automotive test project in Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad next month as a pilot initiative and thereafter gradually make it a pan-India project.

The focus of this initiative from the automotive dealers association and manufacturers, represented by nearly 2,800 dealers across the country, is to ensure that all vehicles that ply on the road are road worthy.

They believe that such periodic checks, inspection and certification will ensure reduction in the number of accidents and rise in general awareness on safety driving.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 24 Jul 2010 19:39

In the "socialist republic" another controversial order has come in. The High Court has ruled against the K.P practise of police officers checking motor vehicles and for a violation issuing a "summons/notice" on the spot. The Hon. HC feels that Sub-Inspectors are punching above their weights and taking up a job reserved for a magsitrate court. A Sub-Inspector (who did this) was asked to personally appear and explain why he did it. He stated that it was based on a 1972 Kerala Govt. Order. The petty case charged by him was thrown out.

The current practise is that when a petty case (less than INR 1000 fine) is charged, the accused is given a "notice" asking him to appear at the jurisdictional magistrate court. The notice (along with details of the offence) would be given by a police sub-inspector. This was conveinient for all parties concerned.
1. Less paper work for the magistrate's court
2. The accused knows the offences, and the date to appear at the court
3. He can pay up the fine by Money Order, using an advocate or come prepared to fight it out in the court.

If the rules get changed based on the Hon.HC ruling, then
1. Every single petty case charged by the jurisdictional police stations would land up at the magistrate's court. The magistrate have to check the basics of the case, and ask a notice to be issued.
2. The notice lands up back at the PS, and policemen would have to be detailed to serve the notice. This would be fun, as if the case is charged at say Kalamassery (near Kochi) PS, and the accused stay at Kasaragod, the notice have to get served at Kasaragod. Cops would have a fun time organising the logistics.
3. If the accused do not get the notice on time, and fail to appear arrest warrants gets issued. It would be fun for the accused, when he notices a police party at his home to arrest him for a petty case

. The gossip-crazy Mallus would also land up in large numbers with their mobile phone to record the arrest and taking-away of an individual from the locality.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 29 Jul 2010 12:13

Motor vehicle Bill delayed further

The Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, which has several recommendations related to improving the safety on roads, has been further delayed. It may be introduced in the winter session of Parliament.

The Road Transport Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, had stated that the Ministry would try to present the Bill in the Monsoon Session.

The MVA Bill proposed increasing penalties for violations, higher compensation for accident victims, making transporters responsible for overloading, amongst others.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Jul 2010 12:49

a driving test range in BLR is ready for service now. but the minister has postponed it until after august 18 because this month is inauspicious!

we need few such ranges in each big city so that driving tests can be conducted properly and safely. all people who apply for learners license ought to be given a printed safety booklet too, explaining in diagrams what not to do.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 31 Jul 2010 23:16

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/world ... =2&_r=1&hp

And finally in the works... the Rohtang Tunnel!

In June, work started on the ambitious project, which will take five years and require boring five miles through the Pir Panjal range. Several other tunnels, which would allow all-weather access to Ladakh, which abuts the Tibetan Plateau, are also in the works.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 01 Aug 2010 04:38

I am no geologist, but it could be related to the fact that the lower Himalyan ranges are the softer variety due to their younger age perhaps, and hence not suitable to the use of these boring machines. The harder the granite, the easier to drill without the drill bits getting all stuck in the muddy goo.

Raghavendra · Post by **Raghavendra** » 06 Aug 2010 16:31

White-topped roads may end bumpy rides in Bangalore http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/repor ... re_1419554

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 06 Aug 2010 20:36

How are the roads in coastal Karnataka? Especially NH 17? Especially after the rains. Any idea on what can be expected [:)]

manish · Post by **manish** » 07 Aug 2010 12:12

Sachin wrote:How are the roads in coastal Karnataka? Especially NH 17? Especially after the rains. Any idea on what can be expected [:)]

Interior roads are likely to be bad. NH-17 should be in a manageable shape, although there are stretches that are likely to be bad, congested or both.

You can expect the stretch between MLR-Kundapur (100kms) to be somewhat congested and a bit patchy, given the high traffic density (won't hold a candle to the traffic levels on the Malabar stretches of the same highway though!) and ongoing road widening. Further north, the traffic is usually sparse except for short spans that run through a couple of small population centres.

Sachin wrote:
manish wrote:Sachin saar, please let me know what kind of things you are looking for - primarily beach/seashore based or trekking or standard-issue temple circuit?
....
...
Being from SRK, beaches or sea-shore is not some thing which is uncommon for us. But a relaxed stay in a new place is what I am looking for. BTW, I plan to drive down so "learning the new roads" is also a good break for me.

....

BTW, I checked MapMyIndia, the distance between Mangalore & Karwar is around 270kms, but the time calculated is 7 hours (nearly a day). I had an idea to drive down to Mangalore, have a halt there and then proceed to Karwar. My idea was to reach Karwar by late afternoon (2PM-ish).

The only temple which I thought of going was the Kollur Mookambika temple. But there is a belief that if you "plan" to visit the temple, the plan would flop. Atleast for me it was true. The last time I went there the decision to go was taken at around 4PM, and we were on the bus by around 7PM.

Driving is not a bad idea at all. Road conditions permitting, the BLR-MLR-Karwar should be a dream. I am the type who enjoys the twisties more than wide, flat 6-laned monstrous expressways. Lanco is converting the Nelamangala-Hassan stretch to 4-lane, so watch out for sudden breaks/diversions on that road. The 35km Shiradi Ghat section would have surely deteriorated in the rains, but given the fact that the major trouble spots (basically the hairpin curves) were concreted a couple of years ago, the stretch should be drivable at least. Just budget an extra hour to the usual 6hrs and you should be covered. The stretch becomes stunningly beautiful during the monsoon, and the extra effort should be worth it IMHO.

The 275km Mangalore-Karwar stretch should be doable in 5-5.5hrs or less if you start early in the morning. I last did a part of the journey (200km north of MLR to Kumta and back on the same day) in April, and the roads weren't too bad, except in a few patches just before Bhatkal (of Riyaz Bhatkal fame). The stretch leading north out of Mangalore city is MUCH better than it was a couple of years ago. The four-laning is almost complete till the gates of NITK in Surathkal. Don't know what effect rains would have had on rest of the stretch.

As regards to visiting Kollur Mookambika, it should again be fairly easy to incorporate it into your MLR-Karwar journey if you leave MLR in the morning. MLR-Kollur is approx 135km and you would have covered 100 km of that on the way to Karwar. Take a diversion from NH-17 a few km after Kundapur and you are on the road to Kollur. You can probably get a darshan, have prasada bhojanam and then drive on to Karwar and reach by evening. I would also recommend a short visit to Murudeshwar temple (just 3km off NH-17 between Bhatkal and Honnavar, about 160km north of MLR) if you are interested.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Aug 2010 15:23

there is an alternate route to MLR which some MLR friends of mine have been using.
BLR-mysore-hunsur-madikeri-sulna-mlr. upto madikeri the road is good (4 laned most of the way). after that I guess you need to drive a bit slowly. one person said departed mlr at 5.30 and reached blr @ 1.30 after one stop for lunch and one for breakfast.

only around 3km of road in kushalnagara town is in bad shape. also, avoid the mysore ring road which is very incomplete and not worth the extra distance...just drive to palace, catch the ooty road and fork right to catch the other end of the mysore ring road which is much better....from the ring road take the hunsur road.

that way u avoid wasting 1hr to neelamangala and its infernal traffic. one can take bannerghatta road or hosur road to get onto the BMIC and drop into mysore road after kengeri smoothly.

manish · Post by **manish** » 07 Aug 2010 15:41

If one is looking for alternates to Shiradi Ghat, there is also the option of taking the Charmadi Ghat section. The problem with this or Mysore route is that neither of them do not offer trouble free motoring due to existence of patchy sections. And they are longer than Shiradi route as well. And the stretch after Madikeri is made up almost entirely of 2 lane SH except for the final 30km when it merges with NH-48. The Mysore route used to be the preferred alternate route for KSRTC's then-TFTA Volvo B7Rs back when Shiradi first earned the stripes as the Volvo killer (Useless/madeup trivia:How do you tell apart a KSRTC Volvo that plies on the MLR-BLR route? Ans: Look for the one with the most severe damage on under body and lower side body sections and panels)

As far avoiding Nelamangala is concerned, one can also use Magadi Main road to skip past Nelamangala and enter NH-48 directly if you need to take the Hassan route. And isn't the Expressway supposed to open by Aug 15. May make it all moot.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 07 Aug 2010 19:58

Thanks manish and Singha. Keep pouring the information

.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Aug 2010 20:12

yes I had forgotten the magadi road part...never been to that patch of the woods yet. the neelamangala elevated flyover will cover part of the problem. there are supposed to be few other flyovers in that stretch from yeshwantpur RS to NH48 junction...not sure if ALL are going to be ready or already in service....there is also ongoing construction of flyovers near brigade gateway..

B7R has a long overhang ahead of the front wheels unlike other buses in india....if the suspension bottoms out if going on potholes or humps at higher speed, that 'chin' will indeed scrape bottom....one of the complaints was volvo spare parts were quite expensive compared to tata/al.
still....BMTC itself has 250 volvo and 150 marcopolo with 50 more volvo in pipeline soon. not sure how many KSRTC has.

I have a different plan for when my 2nd kid is 2-3 yr old. take a week off and have the following itinerary.
day1 - blr - mangalore , night halt at mangalore
day2 - in and around mangalore
day3 - up the west coast to gokarna and stay in some resort there (visit jog falls)
day4 - laze around in om beach etc
day5 - day6 karwar/devbagh
day7 - drive back to tumkur, night halt there
day 8 - b2b - back to blr !

hariks · Post by **hariks** » 08 Aug 2010 01:11

Did the drive from Bangalore->Mangalore, Kollur 2 yrs back. BLR->Mangalore was NH. It was after monsoons and the roads were fine till the ghat sections started. Then till we hit NH 17, it was wide roads, but quite rough. I would recommend safari/scorpio types since big tyres and beefy suspension can soak up most of that. NH17 around Mangalore was in bad shape as well, though construction and repairs were going on. Hopefully it is better now. Outside the city, way to Kollur was pretty fine.
Back from Kollur, we visited Murdeswar (I would recommend that) and the proceeded north to Jog falls (Sagar). The scenery is great and roads are fine as well, though a bit narrow at places. Sagar-Shimoga area is dense forests and the road is ok, though narrow. Recommended only during day time. We proceeded from Jog falls to Shimoga and then back to Bangalore. The way back from Shimoga was again little bit rough. Traffic was low, but the drive takes a while. My 4yr old son got tired of bouncing around in the Qualis we rented, and had to be held most of the way back.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 19 Aug 2010 07:46

Steering a new course for truck drivers

Stereotypical images of truck drivers, cleaners and mechanics are set to change. Often regarded as rude, some of them could soon talk to you politely and in English. They could also use an Internet-connected computer to find a way of using Google Maps.

If efforts of the Hyderabad Goods Transport Association (HGTA) bear fruit, the transport sector would soon have people with knowledge in basic operation of computers and soft skills.

The association has started Transport Training and Development Institute (TTDI) to train people in four different courses.

“We want to help the drivers and transport staff to take the trucking industry to the next level. With changing times, the transport sector needs to change. They need to talk well and should be in a position to handle computers and laptops. The best way to do it is to train all those involved in the running of the trucks,” Pawan Kumar Gupta, President of the association, said.

“The transport sector has come of age. It is now handling GPS-enabled vehicles and using hi-tech roadways. This needs a new set of skills. We are targeting to help them acquire such skills,” he told newspersons here. The members of the Association contributed significantly to start the institute.

According to an industry estimate there were about 60 lakh truck drivers in the country. The number would go up many fold if one factored in cleaners, hamalis, mechanics and other staff involved in the business.

The institute would charge Rs 600 a month for three months for those joining the course. “But they will get a stipend of Rs 2,000 at the end of the course. This means that they are getting the training free of cost,” he said.

Set up at Autonagar, the transport hub of the State capital, the 9,000-sq ft institute, would offer courses in Auto Mechanical Skills, Auto Electrical Skill Course, Transport Operation Skills Course, and Motoring Skills. It would also offer courses in basics of computer, personality development and life skills, spoken English, meditation and yoga.

“The objective of the institute is to empower commercial vehicle drivers with all the essential safety practices so that they face the roads with greater responsibility,” P. Ramesh Kumar, Chairman of HGTA's Infrastructure Committee, said.

I know that Ashok Leyland has been running a course for truck drivers for a number of years now.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 19 Aug 2010 09:29

Investment in roadbuilding remains short of what we need:
NHAI spent Rs.53000cr ($11.3 billion) on roadbuilding in last 3 years

The NHAI incurred an expenditure of Rs 17,490.48 crore, Rs 17,756.37 crore and Rs 17,955.57 crore in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010, respectively, on 256 highways projects, Minister of State for Highways R P N Singh informed the Rajya Sabha.

"Out of the 256 projects, 82 projects have been completed during the last three years and the balance work is under implementation," the minister said.

In reply to another question, the minister informed the House that the NHAI has restructured 47 schemes under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), mainly to increase their viability.

Singh also said that the award of contracts for building 23,744 km roads under the NHDP by 2010-11 has been approved by the ministry.

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 24 Aug 2010 12:33

Follow Gujarat path to road reform: World Bank

GANDHINAGAR: A latest World Bank (WB) study says exemplary reforms in Gujarat's highway sector should be replicated by Indian states to establish an "enabling framework" for creating "efficient governance".

Titled "Good Governance in Highway Sector: Learning from Gujarat", the 60-page, yet-to-be-published report is based on the implementation of the World Bank-funded Gujarat State Highway Project (GSHP) during the 2001-07 period. The project was implemented by the state roads and buildings ((R&B) department.

Identifying private sector involvement as a crucial factor in shaping the reforms, the bank points out how the R&B department, under principal secretary SS Rathore, a technocrat, switched "from the role of provider to manager of road infrastructure".

This enabled the department to embrace a whole-of-network approach to planning and management of road network development and maintenance, and to take a more integrated approach in the budgeting and funding process, the study says.

As a result, GSHP "was implemented with a significant cost reduction (about 23%)", even as improving "the network to meet the rapidly growing transport demand in the state".

The bank stresses that: "The GSHP had the unique distinction of no contract disputes, a rarity among highway development projects in India", even as it set best practices in "developing and managing a very comprehensive asset management system, state-of-the-art quality assurance framework and a very comprehensive training and capacity building programme".

Noting that the current planned road network size in Gujarat of 74,111 km is among the highest in terms of network density per sq km in India, the report says, it is also "among the best managed networks".

Investment in new roads in Gujarat increased six times compared to the pre-reforms times, with the state paying more attention to maintenance "than any other state". It spent $884, 15% more than the second highest spending state, Kerala. As a result, the maintenance backlog has been reduced from 10,000 km to 5,000 km, including the 1,800 km reduction spurred by the GSHP.

"Gujarat is one of the first states to develop a strategic or core road network by applying the 80/20 rule, i.e. 80% of the traffic is carried by 20% of the road network," says the report. First formulated during the GSHP, the concept was used during the development later, the bank says. However, it adds that the concept may go a long way in implementing the chief minister's "vision" of travelling by road in the state between any two locations within six to seven hours at 80 km per hour.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » 25 Aug 2010 18:12

X-posting from Cars thread...

Drove back from near Malvalli village on Monday. Came via Mysore rd - Maddur - Kengeri - NICE - Banerghatta - Koramangala. At several points along the Mysore rd. and in fact even NICE, there are random barricades thrown up to 'slow down' speeders I'm guessing. However given the dismal state of the lighting on these roads esp. NICE, the barriers are more deadly than speeding - there's barely any time to see them and react.
Plus, at a village just a few kms before Shivalli restaurant on the highway, apparently some tanker had hit a biker who was crossing from one side of the highway to another. So the villagers promptly stopped all traffic for some time.
On the whole though, NICE was a pleasant experience - straight road zipping from Kengeri to Banerghatta Rd., avoiding all the pain of Mysore Rd coming into Bengaluru, Majestic etc... a boon for those in Koramangala...

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 25 Aug 2010 19:27

Jaeger, is the NICE road open all the way from Kengeri to Electronic City?

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 26 Aug 2010 09:23

Sriman wrote:Jaeger, is the NICE road open all the way from Kengeri to Electronic City?

There is a small deviation you need to take when crossing Bannerghatta road. When driving from EC, the road is all clear (except a set of road blocks/barricades set by Bengaluru's finest right under a bridge) till the area near Bannerghatta road. I think this is the area of land disputre orchestrated by humble farmer and co. But there is a good road which takes the vehicle to Bannerghatta road, you need to take a right turn here. Go on Bannerghatta road (towards Bengaluru city) for approx 50 metres, and you need to take a left turn to join back the NICE road.

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

it is open all the way from neelamangala on tumkur toad to elec city.

but...the bridge over bannerghatta road is not yet ready so there is one stretch on bannerghatta road followed by a ugly village
road with humpy speedbreakers to connect.

the quality of construction is NOT upto US expway standards...in some places the road base has subsided leading to wavy areas.

but in general you can safely drive at 100kmph....many long upgrades, so weaker cars will not be able to speed too much.
also lots of slow big trucks you need to weave around...but HEAVEN compared to mysore road from city market to kengeri.