ECR - Entertainment corridor - Projects Updates

[vinodgopal]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

Have you driven along ECR ?

It is not fun. Many bends are blind and sharp ones.

VIllagers criss cross suddenly by walk, in cycles, in bikes, in bullock carts and you may not be able to see till last minute.

I have escaped being hit by speeding vehicles from opposite side so many times since I was more cautious.

Very poor design.

plus some barricades placed for eternity even though they are to be removed in morning hours. To go to Pondi i only use the Thindivanam route.

[karkal]

Traffic cops brace for New Year’s on ECR

The 140-km expressway is every speed junkie’s nightmare come true; 5 die in Saturday accident

At least two accidents occur on East Coast Road (ECR) every week, on the stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Puducherry.

Early Saturday, a car rammed a parked lorry at Muttukadu, killing five persons including a sub-inspector of police travelling in the vehicle.

According to the police, the car was speeding at around 100 kmph and the driver is believed to have dozed off behind the wheel.

With Christmas and New Year around the corner, the traffic police are a concerned lot. The 140-km, 11-year-old expressway, with its barrier-free smooth roads and lax police patrolling, is every speed junkie’s nightmare come true. Annually, about 75 persons die in accidents on the stretch.

“There is very little traffic congestion on the stretch beyond Akkarai near Sholinganallur and that’s where speeding begins. We have to stretch our limited resources, including manpower, to patrol the entire stretch from Thiruvanmiyur to Mamallapuram, a distance of around 50 km,” said an officer with the Mamallapuram police.

The stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai, a distance of 11.8 km, is a four-lane maintained by the State highways department, whereas the stretch between Akkarai and Puducherry is a two-lane facility maintained by Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC).

There is heavy traffic on the stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai. There are also several pedestrian crossings that do not permit free movement of vehicles on the highway. There are 94 streets on both sides of the stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai and 38 pedestrian crossings, including 19 major ones.

Motorists who use the stretch frequently say they are in the path of danger because often, they are unable to predict oncoming traffic. Besides, more than half the pedestrian crossings are within 50 metres of each other between the two points on the stretch.

For instance, Vettuvankani near Injambakkam is said to be the most accident-prone spot along the stretch. This is mainly due to the presence of seven pedestrian crossings within just 100 metres. The traffic police have closed four of them and deployed their men along the the rest, an officer said.

“However, none of the other crossings between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai is manned by the police. The entire stretch has just one speed breaker,” said S. Joseph, a resident of Kottivakkam.

Also, the stretch between Akkarai and Puducherry has neither has a median nor street lights or reflectors, said M. Kothandapani, chairman of Mamallapuram town panchayat.

In an effort to reduce accidents, the State highways department has constructed a crash barrier between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai at a cost of Rs. 1.6 crore. The TNRDC also took up correction of curves on the stretch beyond Akkarai.

It is now processing a detailed project report for turning the stretch up to Mamallapuram into a four-lane. Service lanes and a median will come up on the 35-km stretch, an officer said.

[iaafosc]

Widening of the ECR is desperately required so unfortunate that innocent lives are lost

[darkprinz]

Widening ECR and creating median along the entire stretch with foot over bridges at important places will almost solve the issue..

[Vijay M]

First step is to remove enchroachments, buildings that stick out onto the road. It's ridiculous to see the road width narrow all of a sudden. One moment there is tarmac, next there is someone's compound wall. Providing lighting along the stretch will also ensure better visibility to all drivers, and could reduce accidents significantly.

[karkal]

College girl dies as speeding car goes off road

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle4207083.ece

[krishnaswamy]

Originally Posted by karkal

College girl dies as speeding car goes off road

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle4207083.ece

Looks reckless driving. Thank God, that the girl who drove did not crash the vehicle in opposite direction.

[ezhilan81]

Originally Posted by karkal

College girl dies as speeding car goes off road

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle4207083.ece

ECR is seriously becoming a death road...Idiotic driving adds to the curse. May her soul rest in peace...but am sure that girl who drove the car will need lot of counseling to make her out of the guilt feel

[kannan infratech]

I personally know the classmates / friends of the deceased.

Actually many drivers who are not seasoned / experienced may not understand the (wrong) dynamics of the ECR.

The bends are really lethal. Unless you are aware of the degree of the bend in advance, driving at higher speed and negotiating a bend is lethal.

Since I drive there often, I personally know the degree of the difficulty, Many times, I have to look for the vehicles from behind or the opposite side too at the bends since they drive recklessly. I adjust the speed accordingly. But many newbies and who are not experienced, may meet with an accident.

The bends on ECR have to be straightened.

[karkal]

Car overturns on ECR, 4 hurt

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/17685375.cms

[tamilbala]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

Actually many drivers who are not seasoned / experienced may not understand the (wrong) dynamics of the ECR.

Not only ECR's dynamics but drivers needs to understand the DYNAMICS of their vehicles. I am tired to see OMNIs, Mahindra vans, and other Taller yet Lighter vehicles ripped through in ECR, a big crosswind is enough to throw them away.

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

The bends are really lethal. Unless you are aware of the degree of the bend in advance, driving at higher speed and negotiating a bend is lethal.

The bends on ECR have to be straightened.

One of the most dangerous Curve, just before MARG swarnaboomi is straightened by aquiring lands in both sides, govt is doing the needed but rather slowly.

All said, TRY to avoid ECR towards Pondy on FRIDAY night & towards Chennai on SUNDAY night.
ECR still remains the most exotic driving experience in this part of the country, so enjoy it.
Don't over speed, keep all your ORVM open, give way for Oncoming/Overtaking vehicles, try avoiding night drives.

[anekho]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

The bends on ECR have to be straightened.

I don't think straightening bends is the answer here - as the old adage goes 'Treat the disease, not the symptoms'.

India's whole driver-education/RTO system needs a complete overhaul. Sooner the better. We have to start looking at long term solutions.

[karkal]

Soon, regulations for wetlands along ECR


There will be provisions to strike a balance between development and scenic beauty in wetlands and along water bodies near East Coast Road. Photo: M. Karunakaran

Draft second master plan for Mamallapuram suggests several restrictions on urban sprawl

Urban sprawl in wetlands and along waterbodies near East Coast Road will soon be regulated by stringent restrictions.

There will be provisions to strike a balance between development and scenic beauty.

Urban planners at the directorate of town and country planning have completed the draft second master plan for the Mamallapuram local planning area (LPA) located at a distance of 24 km to the south of the city.

The scenic ECR, from Kanathur Reddikuppam near Chennai to Palar river, where pressure for urban development has intensified, falls under Mamallapuram LPA.

Once approved, the stringent provisions of the proposed second master plan for Mamallapuram LPA are likely to emerge a deterrent to urban sprawl around beautiful environs.

According to urban planners, stricter norms to deter zone conversion of wetlands will be in place. Planning permission for development within 15 metres of a waterbody will continue to be denied.

But waterways such as Buckingham Canal will continue to have restrictions along 100 metres on either side. Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules also apply to a chunk of the LPA.

“Urban development along ECR should not affect the character of the area. The scenic beauty of the area should be maintained,” said S. Santhanam, an urban planning expert who is also former member-chief urban planner, CMDA.

“Religious structures along the stretch close to waterbodies have the potential to emerge as big tourist attractions. The scenic beauty of such waterbodies should be developed,” he said.

Mamallapuram LPA is bordered by Semmencheri on Rajiv Gandhi Salai. The boundary stretches from Vayalur village near Palar river in the east to Mambakkam in the north.

Mamallapuram LPA measures 27,758 hectares and its population is booming. The wetlands, waterbodies, flora and fauna are sustained by a suitable climate with a mean maximum temperature ranging from 38.2 degrees Celsius in June to 28.4 degrees Celsius in December.

High humidity combined with high temperatures and an annual rainfall of 1,100 mm has shaped the unique scenery of ECR. Rapid urban development has affected the migratory pattern of birds that flock to the waterbodies and wetlands in the area, mostly from October to December.

Keywords: Mamallapuram local planning area, master plan, wetland regulations

[murlee]

All rights reserved by Ruse

image hosted on flickr

[iaafosc]

Originally Posted by murlee

All rights reserved by Ruse

image hosted on flickr

imagine how beautiful it would be if it were 4 laned or better yet 6 laned

[sridhar_n]

those lovely trees would have vanished...

[iaafosc]

true

[madrasi7777]

Greenery can be replanted during the process of rewidening (in one year we can have decent greenery)but life lost is for ever. Think about it.

[sridhar_n]

Originally Posted by madrasi7777

Greenery can be replanted during the process of rewidening (in one year we can have decent greenery)but life lost is for ever. Think about it.

Ohhh...do we really replant? They only talk abt it.

Life is lost due to reckless driving.

[krishnaswamy]

Originally Posted by sridhar_n

Ohhh...do we really replant? They only talk abt it.

Life is lost due to reckless driving.

Dude.. ECR's curves as dangerous as beautiful girl's curves.