<p>Bengaluru: Traffic congestion at key junctions in Bengaluru continues to be a headache for both commuters and police, especially during peak hours, with some of the intersections witnessing queues extending more than 10 km. </p>.<p>The city’s busiest traffic corridors are struggling to cope with ever-increasing vehicle inflow, worsened by ongoing construction projects, including metro work and infrastructure upgrades.</p>.<p>According to latest traffic data, Gokaldas Images Junction and Veerannapalya are the city’s worst congestion hotspots. In the mornings (8 am to 12 pm), Gokaldas Images Junction in North Bengaluru sees traffic queues reaching 9.9 km. In the evenings (5 pm to 9 pm), Veerannapalya Junction near BEL tops the list with a massive 15.8 km congestion on an average.</p>.<p>Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy explained to DH that the situation was exacerbated by the metro construction, which has slowed down traffic even further. “The underpass work at Kundanahalli Gate is still not complete and this has led to significant congestion in the mornings,” said Reddy.</p>.<p>Traffic at Goraguntepalya Junction and Kundanahalli Gate Junction is particularly problematic due to metro construction and infrastructure work. The situation is so severe at Goraguntepalya because vehicles from 20 districts converge here.</p>.<p>The JCP (Traffic) highlighted that while weekends see families out in full force, there is a midweek “peak” driven by corporate work-from-office mandates. “Tuesday and Wednesday are the heaviest for peak hour traffic,” he <br>noted.</p>.Bengaluru: Hebbal flyover traffic likely to ease as new loop opens for trial vehicular movement.<p>“With many employees taking Monday or Friday offs for long weekends, the midweek period sees the maximum convergence of the city’s workforce on the roads.”</p>.<p>Reflecting on the challenges of redesigning these hubs, Reddy said candidly: “Traffic can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be moved. It’s like a leak if we tighten it at one junction, it leaks at another. We are currently conducting trials at Kundalahalli to see if we can stem the flow, but it often just shifts the jam elsewhere.”</p>.<p><strong>The solution</strong></p>.<p>Reddy also reiterated the need for carpooling and corporate intervention. “Egos are high; no one wants to leave their car. We’ve suggested that companies adopt a special ‘no-work’ day or mandatory carpooling. If we reduce cars by even 10%, the impact on the Outer Ring Road would be massive,” he added.</p>.<p>In a bid to tackle the issue, traffic police have been experimenting with changes in signal timings, especially in areas like Hopefarm.</p>.<p>“We have seen some improvement after modifying signal timings at Hopefarm,” Reddy noted.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Traffic congestion at key junctions in Bengaluru continues to be a headache for both commuters and police, especially during peak hours, with some of the intersections witnessing queues extending more than 10 km. </p>.<p>The city’s busiest traffic corridors are struggling to cope with ever-increasing vehicle inflow, worsened by ongoing construction projects, including metro work and infrastructure upgrades.</p>.<p>According to latest traffic data, Gokaldas Images Junction and Veerannapalya are the city’s worst congestion hotspots. In the mornings (8 am to 12 pm), Gokaldas Images Junction in North Bengaluru sees traffic queues reaching 9.9 km. In the evenings (5 pm to 9 pm), Veerannapalya Junction near BEL tops the list with a massive 15.8 km congestion on an average.</p>.<p>Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy explained to DH that the situation was exacerbated by the metro construction, which has slowed down traffic even further. “The underpass work at Kundanahalli Gate is still not complete and this has led to significant congestion in the mornings,” said Reddy.</p>.<p>Traffic at Goraguntepalya Junction and Kundanahalli Gate Junction is particularly problematic due to metro construction and infrastructure work. The situation is so severe at Goraguntepalya because vehicles from 20 districts converge here.</p>.<p>The JCP (Traffic) highlighted that while weekends see families out in full force, there is a midweek “peak” driven by corporate work-from-office mandates. “Tuesday and Wednesday are the heaviest for peak hour traffic,” he <br>noted.</p>.Bengaluru: Hebbal flyover traffic likely to ease as new loop opens for trial vehicular movement.<p>“With many employees taking Monday or Friday offs for long weekends, the midweek period sees the maximum convergence of the city’s workforce on the roads.”</p>.<p>Reflecting on the challenges of redesigning these hubs, Reddy said candidly: “Traffic can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be moved. It’s like a leak if we tighten it at one junction, it leaks at another. We are currently conducting trials at Kundalahalli to see if we can stem the flow, but it often just shifts the jam elsewhere.”</p>.<p><strong>The solution</strong></p>.<p>Reddy also reiterated the need for carpooling and corporate intervention. “Egos are high; no one wants to leave their car. We’ve suggested that companies adopt a special ‘no-work’ day or mandatory carpooling. If we reduce cars by even 10%, the impact on the Outer Ring Road would be massive,” he added.</p>.<p>In a bid to tackle the issue, traffic police have been experimenting with changes in signal timings, especially in areas like Hopefarm.</p>.<p>“We have seen some improvement after modifying signal timings at Hopefarm,” Reddy noted.</p>