Bengaluru: Northern Bengaluru grappled with heavy traffic on Monday as the long weekend concluded, with traffic police anticipating the congestion to continue on Tuesday as well.
Tumakuru Road and its vicinity witnessed a notable 60-70 per cent surge in traffic compared to regular weekdays, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) said.
Siri Gowri, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, North), explained that roads experienced congestion due to an influx of incoming vehicles. She told DH: “A good number of vehicles returned to the city on Sunday evening, but the surge in incoming traffic on Monday morning prompted us to delay the entry of heavy vehicles into the city.”
Based on trends, Siri anticipated traffic congestion on Tuesday, albeit slightly less. "Past trends indicate heavy traffic on two days after a long weekend," she noted, adding that traffic police were implementing "minor adjustments and arrangements" to manage the situation.
Clogged outskirts
On Sunday evening, northern suburbs near Nelamangala witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic extending up to five to six kilometres, which eased as traffic moved out of the city. Siri attributed this to the restriction on heavy vehicles entering the city due to the high volume of inbound vehicles.
"Traffic on Sunday evening was no less. There was 40 per cent extra congestion compared to other weekdays," she said.
While other parts of the city reported up to a 30 per cent increase in traffic, senior traffic police officers observed no "unexpected" trends on Sunday evening or Monday morning.
DCP Kuldeep Kumar R Jain (Traffic, East) mentioned an anticipated 20 per cent rise in vehicles on the road on Sunday evening. On Monday, the Outer Ring Road-ITPL stretch experienced relatively more congestion between 8.30 am and 9.45 am.
DCP Anita B Haddannavar (Traffic, West) reported about 30 per cent more traffic on Mysuru Road than on Sunday, but the flow remained steady.
DCP Shiva Prakash Devaraju (Traffic, South) noted a modest increase of no more than 10% in vehicle numbers in the city's southern parts. Hosur Road, a vital arterial thoroughfare, also experienced only a 10 per cent uptick in traffic, according to the police.