Let's hear about your city traffic and how good your driving?

[vramak]

thevortex - People do make mistakes on road occasionally. Millions of people making millions of occasional mistakes is what represents a city with chaotic traffic and with people labeled as having poor road sense. (Ok, it sounds like a dialogue from Anniyan but still it's very true. )

BTW, contrary to what you've read, I've watched a programme on Discover channel which showed a study where people who vented out their anger showed amplified levels of anger compared to people who haven't vented it out. By venting out your frustration you're bringing your full attention to an issue that used to reside only on the periphery of your mind. Even your latest post seems to reflect more levels of hatred towards Chennai traffic compared to your first post. ( Of course, if the source of frustration is something that you can mend, say a relationship problem, it can be solved by discussing with your partner. But traffic problems aren't something we can directly mend.)

Ok... I'm just saying things I know. It's up to you to approve it or ignore it.

I still think traffic management in Chennai is very good and well planned even when speaking in absolute terms.

 

[theironhorse]

born and bought up in jaipur.. city is a boon for car n bike freaks.. in heavy traffic.. the min u drive is at 60kmph..lol.. that the heavist.. imagine now in hyd.. first two days i decided to go back.. but somehow like this city been three years now..love it due to the police here..love em.. they are scared of common people..lol..they wont even touch a big car..hehe...!!! however more no of vehicles is not the problems here or anywhere in india.. its the way people drive... guess they dunno why low and high beam are provided and where to use indicators and blah..blah.. when i go back to jaipur i love it.. loe to ride my yz-250 and my cbz all the way at 80... love it.. and wind fly past by.. well u can feel it here however only after 24:00 hrs..

 

[thekinge]

I had a good laugh reading the Forbes article where they said Chennai has the third best commute in the world! The author sure was high on grass or something else when he wrote that article!

However, I think we need to read vramak's posts in perspective. If I am reading them right, he is not saying that Chennai is the best city in the world. All he is saying is that the infrastructure in Chennai is better compared to other cities in India (Bangalore in specific). Some of my friends who are native Chennai'ites and currently living in Bangalore say the same thing so I find nothing nothing wrong in his opinions.

I have driven in Chennai for 4 years before moving out of India due to work. The first two years were the most frustrating because I was a new driver (and first time car owner) and I used to get irritated by every single motorcyclist, auto rickshaw and bicycle that came across my way. But then, as I gained more confidence in driving and gained the subconscious ability to expect someone or something to cross my car's path & preemptively drive around them, driving in Chennai became quite ok. I also realized that getting frustrated by what I cannot control only leaves me in a state of angst. The moment I stopped getting frustrated about the other idiots on the roads, the time I spent driving actually became enjoyable and I started enjoying music in my car while driving!

Talking about taking it further, I think except very, very few, all that most people do is just complain and have not the slightest intention to take the problem to the authorities and demand a solution. ( Heck, most people don't even vote and simply enjoy the day off.) If you have complaints, register your complaints to the relevant authorities or at least in relevant forums. Like I've been saying from the beginning, complaining about traffic on a audio/video forum will only make you more frustrated about it.

Spot on. However if one feels like venting their frustration by writing about it in a forum that's alright - afterall, one needs a (safety) pressure valve

 

[suri]

Hi, I just like to know about traffic in your city and how good your driving in these traffics and how many times your vehicle got damaged?

hi sadha -

at the temple of vtec - there is no mercy - and i would hate to face mortal kombat with another (ar@@hol*) like me -

in other words - "eye for an eye" and "seven teeth for one tooth" -

and when you are the baddest guy on the road - and others see you as insane - they stay away -

if you want your car undamaged - you have to imagine "CARMAGEDDON" on the road you drive.

paint your car with a flaming scorpion on the sides - shark mouth grille up front - make sure you have a high revving petrol engine (and not a diesel tractor with pete's box) - free-flow exhaust - and wear a helmet!

nobody will mess with you - would help if your girlfriend dyed her hair red and held an axe in her hand.

regds.

 

[jitubisht]

Well, I used to think traffic in Delhi is really bad. When I lived for couple of years in Hyderabad, I realized how lucky we Delihiites are to have widest roads and high number of flyovers. Hyderabad traffic was just horrible, especially the autowallahs and two-wheelers. And the worst part is, towards the end of my 2yrs there.. I realised I started riding like them too. Thank god I am back. Now I appreciate the Delhi traffic a lot more. That said, it can still improve a lot.

Being someone who has travelled a lot in India on a motorcycle, I can confirm Chandigarh traffic is the best. I can cite two reasons for it:
1. The city is totally planned, so it has wide roads all around.
2. People are actually scared of the traffic police, they hardly take any bribes since they get a %age of the fine as commission to themselves. Only in Chandigarh I saw cars on wide empty roads not crossing 60kph. The cops actually hide on trees with speed gun.

 

[jitubisht]

There is this article I read on another forum some time back. Was able to track it. Makes for a good read, go through it if you have time. Words about India from someone not India.

His description of Indian roads and traffic:

OK, one myth I have to dispatch before moving on to the ride. Its been said by a number of people that India is among the scariest and most dangerous place in the world to ride a motorcycle. Im not so sure I agree with that. Yeah, it can be a little intimidating at first and it can be dangerous if you dont keep you wits about you but once you figure out the rules its actually a lot of fun. As far as I can tell there are really only two rules that people seem to follow consistently. They are: Dont kill yourself and try not to kill anyone else. Some have said that the second rule is optional but once you figure out the first, riding here can be quite liberating when compared to riding within the constraints of the enormous volume of rules we have to follow in the US and Europe.

In trying not to kill yourself remember many of the roads are quite rough and narrow but even where they are good, many types of obstacles can pop up in the blink of an eye. Obstacles like elephants, tigers, leopards, monkeys and alligators (if you are traveling through the wildlife sanctuaries) and buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and dogs in other places will jump out of the bush and try to make a mess of you and your motorcycle. People walk very close to the road and often times in the road. You will see bull carts everywhere including going the wrong way down a divided highway in the fast lane. Push carts used for low cost transport will push a load of bricks across your path. Trucks and busses will sometimes be seen on your side of the road coming head on. Sometimes two of them side by side taking up all the available pavement. My advise, keep your eyes open and get out of the way. Its a great exercise for strengthening one's concentration!


To read the complete article, here you go.... Coorg - ADVrider

 

[thevortex]

thevortex - People do make mistakes on road occasionally. Millions of people making millions of occasional mistakes is what represents a city with chaotic traffic and with people labeled as having poor road sense. (Ok, it sounds like a dialogue from Anniyan but still it's very true. )

BTW, contrary to what you've read, I've watched a programme on Discover channel which showed a study where people who vented out their anger showed amplified levels of anger compared to people who haven't vented it out. By venting out your frustration you're bringing your full attention to an issue that used to reside only on the periphery of your mind. Even your latest post seems to reflect more levels of hatred towards Chennai traffic compared to your first post. ( Of course, if the source of frustration is something that you can mend, say a relationship problem, it can be solved by discussing with your partner. But traffic problems aren't something we can directly mend.)

Ok... I'm just saying things I know. It's up to you to approve it or ignore it.

I still think traffic management in Chennai is very good and well planned even when speaking in absolute terms.

I think you are not getting my point.

It is absolutely pointless if we get satisfied with the state of the roads in Chennai. I have personally seen an ambulance being hemmed in with absolutely no sense even though the siren was wailing on and on. There is just no traffic sense. And even if the drivers wanted to give way, there is NO way! Would you call that good traffic management? I most certainly wont.

And whenever one of our Chief Ministers thinks it is time for a motor cavalcade, get prepared for another nightmare. Every time there is a rain for about half a day almost all the subways are submerged.

And if you live in an area where you have to go past a railway crossing then heavens help you.

It is not that Bangalore is worse. It may very well be. But the point is that we are selling ourselves way short if we praise what is there in Chennai. Somebody at the 100th place should not get happy looking at the 1000th place finisher.

Lastly any problem can be mended. If what we say here does get seen randomly by a straightforward civil services person, then who knows - we might see change. No harm in trying. It never hurts to be frank and open. On the other hand, carrying frustration and other baggage around is never ever healthy.

 

[vramak]

It is not that Bangalore is worse. It may very well be. But the point is that we are selling ourselves way short if we praise what is there in Chennai. Somebody at the 100th place should not get happy looking at the 1000th place finisher.

Lastly any problem can be mended. If what we say here does get seen randomly by a straightforward civil services person, then who knows - we might see change. No harm in trying. It never hurts to be frank and open. On the other hand, carrying frustration and other baggage around is never ever healthy.

Don't know if you're even reading my posts. Not once did I compare Chennai with Bangalore and tried to prove Chennai's better. I've just been saying Chennai's traffic management is absolutely very good. It's true that I'm living in an area that is not affected by rainwater flooding (that, once again, is a different issue and is not the same as traffic management) or by rail-road junctions.

I simply believe that if people think about citizens' responsibilities before talking about citizens' rights then there would be very little complaining and more improvement. Citizens like Actor Suresh Menon and Traffic Ramaswamy have proposed traffic improvement ideas to the authorities and have had them successfully implemented at various parts of Chennai. Anyone can do the same. Anyways, good luck with your agenda of trying to solve traffic problems by expecting some straightforward civil service person to actively read your traffic complaints on an audio/video forum.

 

[alokbharti]

born and bought up in jaipur.. city is a boon for car n bike freaks.. in heavy traffic.. the min u drive is at 60kmph..lol.. that the heavist.. imagine now in hyd.. first two days i decided to go back.. but somehow like this city been three years now..love it due to the police here..love em.. they are scared of common people..lol..they wont even touch a big car..hehe...!!!

Agree on this part.. Hyd police is too lenient on cars.. however they are very rude to bikers.. sometimes they even throw police danda (stick) on bikers if they don't stop when asked (you can guess their motive here)..

The traffic sense in general public is pathetic.. rules are never followed if no cops around .. roads are generally wide and well built at least in new hyderabad (hi-tech city, jubilee hills, banjara hills, airport roads and gachibowli)..in fact india's longest flyover is in Hyderabad (PVNR express way to airport)..

Driving in Hyd is all about anticipating other vehicle's moves rather than following traffic rules ...

 

[BLASTO]

Agree on this part.. Hyd police is too lenient on cars.. however they are very rude to bikers.. sometimes they even throw police danda (stick) on bikers if they don't stop when asked (you can guess their motive here)..

The traffic sense in general public is pathetic.. rules are never followed if no cops around .. roads are generally wide and well built at least in new hyderabad (hi-tech city, jubilee hills, banjara hills, airport roads and gachibowli)..in fact india's longest flyover is in Hyderabad (PVNR express way to airport)..

Driving in Hyd is all about anticipating other vehicle's moves rather than following traffic rules ...

Traffic Police!
Believe me or not, these guys in hyderabad does not instil any fear in you. They look like first year college joinees. Where is no fear, there is no respect (atleast when it comes to police).

The above two posts about hyd police are absolutely correct.

The chenni police are one of the most fearsome and bangalore ones are the most greedy.

 

[thekinge]

Lastly any problem can be mended. If what we say here does get seen randomly by a straightforward civil services person, then who knows - we might see change. No harm in trying. It never hurts to be frank and open. On the other hand, carrying frustration and other baggage around is never ever healthy.

Here are some better websites where you can log your grievances online:

Tamil Nadu government public grievances cell / online petition filing: Welcome to Online Petition Filing

Indian central government public grievances cell: Grievance Redress Mechanism in Government

Kiran Bedis website for helping common public get better protection & services from Police: Kiran Bedi : Mission Safer India,

Central Vigilance Commission for logging complaints against corrupt officials: form to email script

Though these are online sites, I suppose there is a better chance of a good civil services officer getting to see your grievances through those websites than in Hifivision.

Besides the occasional show of political muscle on roads (rally of dozens of ambassador cars) most of the traffic problems are prevalent because of all of us, not just the politicians or bad traffic management. Though it is easy to see what mistakes others are doing on the road and get frustrated, chaotic traffic is a sum of small mistakes that each of us do while driving. When thousands of drivers make small mistakes, the result not surprisingly is chaotic driving and pathetic traffic. Despite the fact that buffalos still roam freely in our roads and the roads have potholes, if each one consciously avoids making small mistakes like talking on the mobile while driving, not using external rear view mirrors, not signaling properly, passing from the wrong side, jumping amber / red light in traffic signal etc, then any city in India will be heck of a lot better for driving.

 

[thekinge]

The chenni police are one of the most fearsome

In a negative way, yes. But they (the general police) dont command respect.

Personally though, I sympathize with the traffic police at least in Chennai. While many of them indeed are corrupt, the constable level traffic guys who stand under the sun throughout the day managing the unruly drivers day in day out earn my full respect. Not many of us would be able to stand under the hot sun amidst that dust & exhaust smoke for even an hour, let alone a full shift. Most of us do not pause and think the kind of long term health effects their job has on them. Inhaling carbon monoxide and particle dust for such long periods is a sure recipe for a disease prone old age.

 

[samvijay]

I got my first four wheeler driving license in USA, I came back to India, bought my Santro!!!. First few days days of driving in Bangalore was a nightmare, I felt as if all the other vehicles are coming to attack me:sad: (so many vehicles and so close to each other), then I got used to the terrific traffic .

initially followed the laws of the land, like driving in the same lane, following the signals, overtaking only from right etc..., that changed for worse after few minor accidents.

First accident: I was waiting in the signal in my car behind a mini bus, the bus driver suddenly shifter to reverse gear and banged my car, took immediate left and sped away!!! i could not catch him

Second: A lorry driver in the process of overtaking me from left broke my left side mirror, i manged to catch him, but his attitude was, yes i did it, but now do what ever you want. I called the police, they said come to police station and complain. I went and waited for one hour to meet the officer to explain the accident, he asked me to get the car for examination only after that he will register the complaint, he also told me that I may have to come to court and give details!!!, I never returned to police station fearing harassment and waste of time

Moral of the story: The bangalore traffic is pathetic, the drivers are crazy!!. the police are greedy!!!. I have seen police hiding behind bushes and poles to catch the people without helmet and jumping signals, even neglecting big traffic jam near by roads..

 

[vramak]

Personally though, I sympathize with the traffic police at least in Chennai. While many of them indeed are corrupt, the constable level traffic guys who stand under the sun throughout the day managing the unruly drivers day in day out earn my full respect. Not many of us would be able to stand under the hot sun amidst that dust & exhaust smoke for even an hour, let alone a full shift. Most of us do not pause and think the kind of long term health effects their job has on them. Inhaling carbon monoxide and particle dust for such long periods is a sure recipe for a disease prone old age.

+1

Not many of us think about the plight of these guys. I, in fact, think the bribe they accept is justified considering their working conditions and relatively low income. Traffic policeman in Chennai are ruthless and arrogant alright but then they can't really charge us unless we commit an offence.

 

[longshanks]

make sure you have a high revving petrol engine (and not a diesel tractor with pete's box).

I would rather have a Diesel powered second hand Tata sumo without pete's box than a high revving petrol engine inside a shoe box for the city traffic demolition derby.

Still remember the day i banged my old Octavia behind a Honda city where i had a broken number plate and small dent in the bumper while the city had the back bumper cracked and falling down.The biggest joke is the fact that due to the impact of me crashing behind the city, it went and crashed on an alto which also lost its rear bumper leaving a major dent on the city's front bumper.

 

[Kittu]

I got my first four wheeler driving license in USA, I came back to India, bought my Santro!!!. First few days days of driving in Bangalore was a nightmare, I felt as if all the other vehicles are coming to attack me:sad: (so many vehicles and so close to each other), then I got used to the terrific traffic .

initially followed the laws of the land, like driving in the same lane, following the signals, overtaking only from right etc..., that changed for worse after few minor accidents.

First accident: I was waiting in the signal in my car behind a mini bus, the bus driver suddenly shifter to reverse gear and banged my car, took immediate left and sped away!!! i could not catch him

Second: A lorry driver in the process of overtaking me from left broke my left side mirror, i manged to catch him, but his attitude was, yes i did it, but now do what ever you want. I called the police, they said come to police station and complain. I went and waited for one hour to meet the officer to explain the accident, he asked me to get the car for examination only after that he will register the complaint, he also told me that I may have to come to court and give details!!!, I never returned to police station fearing harassment and waste of time

Moral of the story: The bangalore traffic is pathetic, the drivers are crazy!!. the police are greedy!!!. I have seen police hiding behind bushes and poles to catch the people without helmet and jumping signals, even neglecting big traffic jam near by roads..

Samvijay,

:lol: Sorry for laughter bro... I was feeling it while reading yours ... I was in the same boat except for the accident..... 8 years of being in U.S .. I was thinking honking is felony... But after a few months drive in bangalore now I stand on gas pedal and bang the horn (except elderly / children / Animals) ..

Taxi drivers, Volvos and those mini buses with only 3 wheels.. are totally pathetic..... look @ the new city planning...... 50 m from the signal there will be a bus-stop .

And the speedbumps Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr u need to pole jump on those.............

We have come to a stage where you live with it or say to hell with it and move on but with options limited I started to live with it..

 

[thevortex]

Don't know if you're even reading my posts. Not once did I compare Chennai with Bangalore and tried to prove Chennai's better. I've just been saying Chennai's traffic management is absolutely very good. It's true that I'm living in an area that is not affected by rainwater flooding (that, once again, is a different issue and is not the same as traffic management) or by rail-road junctions.

I simply believe that if people think about citizens' responsibilities before talking about citizens' rights then there would be very little complaining and more improvement. Citizens like Actor Suresh Menon and Traffic Ramaswamy have proposed traffic improvement ideas to the authorities and have had them successfully implemented at various parts of Chennai. Anyone can do the same. Anyways, good luck with your agenda of trying to solve traffic problems by expecting some straightforward civil service person to actively read your traffic complaints on an audio/video forum.

Are you perhaps indicating that I am posting information which is irrelevant to this forum or thread? If so, you are mistaken. This is general chit chat and what I post is absolutely relevant and contextual.

May I point out that your continual suggestion to clam up and not complain is not really warranted?

About Traffic Ramaswamy - I dont think you are aware of how many of his cases are still pending and of how many of his ideas have not been implemented .

I gather from your posts that you are happy with Chennai's traffic. More power to you. I have driven in more than one continent and my experiences say that Chennai traffic is pathetic.

 

[asliarun]

I got my first four wheeler driving license in USA, I came back to India, bought my Santro!!!. First few days days of driving in Bangalore was a nightmare, I felt as if all the other vehicles are coming to attack me:sad: (so many vehicles and so close to each other), then I got used to the terrific traffic .

initially followed the laws of the land, like driving in the same lane, following the signals, overtaking only from right etc..., that changed for worse after few minor accidents.

First accident: I was waiting in the signal in my car behind a mini bus, the bus driver suddenly shifter to reverse gear and banged my car, took immediate left and sped away!!! i could not catch him

Second: A lorry driver in the process of overtaking me from left broke my left side mirror, i manged to catch him, but his attitude was, yes i did it, but now do what ever you want. I called the police, they said come to police station and complain. I went and waited for one hour to meet the officer to explain the accident, he asked me to get the car for examination only after that he will register the complaint, he also told me that I may have to come to court and give details!!!, I never returned to police station fearing harassment and waste of time

Moral of the story: The bangalore traffic is pathetic, the drivers are crazy!!. the police are greedy!!!. I have seen police hiding behind bushes and poles to catch the people without helmet and jumping signals, even neglecting big traffic jam near by roads..

A small suggestion, if you don't mind: Why don't you continue following our traffic laws despite these two unfortunate incidents? Not following traffic laws will not reduce the likelihood of an accident in any case. In fact, the more people break laws, the more impetus it can give us to actually follow them. It kind of makes it more "special" - it would be so boring if we did the same thing as everyone else

 

[thevortex]

Here are some better websites where you can log your grievances online:

Tamil Nadu government public grievances cell / online petition filing: Welcome to Online Petition Filing

Indian central government public grievances cell: Grievance Redress Mechanism in Government

Kiran Bedis website for helping common public get better protection & services from Police: Kiran Bedi : Mission Safer India,

Central Vigilance Commission for logging complaints against corrupt officials: form to email script

Though these are online sites, I suppose there is a better chance of a good civil services officer getting to see your grievances through those websites than in Hifivision.

Besides the occasional show of political muscle on roads (rally of dozens of ambassador cars) most of the traffic problems are prevalent because of all of us, not just the politicians or bad traffic management. Though it is easy to see what mistakes others are doing on the road and get frustrated, chaotic traffic is a sum of small mistakes that each of us do while driving. When thousands of drivers make small mistakes, the result not surprisingly is chaotic driving and pathetic traffic. Despite the fact that buffalos still roam freely in our roads and the roads have potholes, if each one consciously avoids making small mistakes like talking on the mobile while driving, not using external rear view mirrors, not signaling properly, passing from the wrong side, jumping amber / red light in traffic signal etc, then any city in India will be heck of a lot better for driving.

Please see post #57. Your and vramak's posts seem to indicate that I am going offtopic. That is not true. Please see the forum section and the thread topic.

In fact I find these continual suggestions of asking to post these thoughts elsewhere irksome. This is an open and independent forum - not that this needs reminding.

And how on earth do you know that I have not done one or two things from your list - not to mention a few things not on that list?

I was not discussing root causes of the traffic problems. Pointing out that they exist. A wholly different thread is required if we want to address root causes and solutions thereof.

 

[samvijay]

And the speedbumps Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr u need to pole jump on those.............

Yes speed breakers are another nonsense in Bangalore, you will find them every 100meters (almost!!!). There was a news article in local news paper that they are created for below 2 reasons rather than to control the traffic

1. The concerned people can make money (contractors, govt officials)
2. Shop owners to attract attention (the news article said, that some speed breakers are funded by near by shop owners), I am not sure how true it is, but going by the number of speed breakers, I have to agree with that