The way traffic works in OMR
This is supposed to be a six-lane road, three on each side. This is the breakup on either side:
Left lane – For trucks/buses/manal lorry, Tata Ace, etc coming in the wrong side (of course with lights on); For IT companies to park their buses; Yes, we park for kilometers at a stretch eating 33% of the road; For the people to deposit mud, boulders.
Middle lane – For MTC to pick and drop passengers. If you thought 0 to 60km in 5 seconds is cool, you should watch MTC going from 60 to 0km in few seconds right in the middle of the road. All the evangelists should come to OMR and show that miracles happen here all the time.
Right Lane – For all miscellaneous activities including the movement of cars, and bikes at 80 kmph; for cows to sit and introspect(about relativity theory?Perhaps).
Once in a while, just so that driving here should not be construed as too easy, we have people jumping the median and crossing the roads (Yes all the six lanes with no zebra crossing anywhere!).
Idhukku toll vera!! Car drivers pay as much as Rs.17 for one way ticket. Besides, OMR charges a fixed toll of a few lives a week ever since this was thrown open to traffic.
PS:
I do not remember if I posted this one earlier, but what the heck, I do not mind posting it again nor do I mind spitting on those who manage OMR.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:26 am
PK, a relevant metaphor comes to mind - “Meththai vaangalaam, Thookkathai vaanga mudiyuma?”
We have come quite a distance from the 80s and 90s, in terms of infrastructure, technology etc, but if people’s attitude remain the same as ever, what is the point of all that? This is how I felt when I went to India in 2008 for the first time after 5 years while riding home on the updated NH45. The road was awesome, but there were still rouge two wheelers, stray cows, impatient drivers in vehicles of all categories etc. The only thing newly laid roads like OMR, NH45 etc will minimize, is head-on collisions.
Thanks for an entertaining post as always.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:35 am
But even with all this there are many who drive under the assumption that it is the Autobahn. The other day I saw a buffalo knocked down in the stretch between Sathyabama and Asiana. I mean, I can understand someone not being able to gauge a dog. But it is not like a buffalo jumps in suddenly from nowhere !
January 19th, 2010 at 6:21 am
dagalti
very true reg. the autobahn thing.
reg. the buffalo, no the bufalo does not jump from nowhere, on the other hand, the bufalo is very much on the right side lane of the road, in deep meditation mode…if it does not get hit by some lorry, its one of those miracles evangelists can be proud of.
my colleague described the now infamous accident near Tidel on New Year eve.. I felt like throwing up on listening to that once… it was that gruesome and yet people drive as if this is autobahn…
January 19th, 2010 at 6:25 am
Ram,
There is hardly any pedestrian crossing anywhere in these new roads… and yet there will be a small town every two-three kms on both sides of the road.. and people will be crossing all the N lanes like the way they used to when it was two lane…These new roads may have reduced head-on collisions but the pedestrian killings and two wheeler killings have gone way up is my guestimate…
your analogy holds good…good roads need not produce safe driving…
en needa naal vayitherichal.. came out as a post!
January 19th, 2010 at 7:30 am
So which stretch is the OMR officially ? Because I went to Thiruporur yesterday and barely two buses could fit in on some of the stretches. What happened near Tidel ?
January 19th, 2010 at 10:17 am
BNB
Officially From Madhya Kailash to Siruseri. Its possible you encountered the ‘barely two buses’ even within this stretch.. blame it on ‘depreciation’ on the left, ‘consumption’ of the center lane by the MTC.. so what is left over is the right most lane….
From what i heard, two guys (likely drunk) in motorcycle had gone in full throttle and had hit a stationary lorry.. the first guy died on the spot, the guy in the pillion got hit, and flew to the middle of the road, and all vehicles plying in high speeds, went over him one after the other..