Jottings on Mysore Road

Nearly five years back while driving down to Mysore the worst on the traffic front used to get over after scaling the BGS flyover, but now one has to reach Wonder La to come anywhere near the fifth gear. The BGS flyover now acts as a short interval before the going gets even tougher. Even inside the sturdiest of vehicles one gets a feel of venturing out on a small boat into the sea with cyclone Phailin for company. Mysore road is not for the faint hearts. The twin infrastructure mayhem of an under-construction Metro elevated rail and a flyover plus the volume of traffic cracks even the most composed and accomplished motorists.

Buried among these works are the numerous deadlines and assurances. The last one was by a minister who said the at least the roads in these stretches will be less taxing on the commuters' spinal  cords and vehicles' suspension by Dasara. The latest buzz is that it will be fixed before the proposed visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the ruling Congress party wants to avoid his barbs over city's infrastructure! Clearly the slight of a rival politician is more important than the agony of commuters who have to rough it out on these roads on a daily basis.
 
Whether it is a sign of rising population or growing empowerment, the number of speed breakers on the Bangalore-Mysore highway have risen dramatically. Earlier it used to be one speed breaker per municipality or taluk, but now it is one per panchayat or panchayat ward, which takes a toll on the pace. Lack of street lights makes life even more difficult for motorists plying in the night.
 
Cattle and bullock carts act as spokes to the journey. Somewhere between Ramanagaram and Channapatna we had a minor traffic jam - the reason? a bullock cart laden with fresh sugarcane crop had strayed into the wrong side of the divider. Hapless motorists could do little other than fume and honk while the cart ambled on the right side of the road. The bullocks and the cart driver were maintaining a zen-like composure, totally unmindful of the cacophony they had caused. Even the hyper-aggressive drivers of KSRTC buses and trucks had to grudgingly make way.
 
The cart guy wanted to go to a lane on the right side of the highway. However abiding by the traffic rules would have meant keeping to the left and taking a U-turn couple of kilometres down the highway - something quite alien to him. After all he needn't worry about  traffic police, fines, road tax or even fuel prices.
 
Some of the towns on the way have grown to become as crowded and chaotic like some Bangalore suburbs. The Mandya town with traffic signals, slow moving traffic and crowded junctions reminded me of BTM Layout.

Also Read: Random Jottings