Extended holiday rush halts traffic in Bangalore

Traffic in areas near Majestic and its surrounding areas came to a standstill on Wednesday night, because of hundreds of vehicles and commuters leaving the city for the four-day long holiday. Several people were seen rushing towards the Bangalore City railway station and Majestic bus stand to catch trains and buses to leave the city.

“I left college around 6 pm and when I reached Sheshadripuram circle, I was stuck in traffic. It seems, everyone is heading towards Majestic to catch a bus or a train,” said Bharath Naidu, a college student.

Those who took the Mysore Road were also not spared. “I had to meet one of my friends, but the entire Mysore Road stretch was full of vehicles. I could not even move my car,” said NJ Gunaprakash, a resident of Jayanagar III Block.

Many others felt that traffic snarls are a regular feature, whenever there is a long extended weekend. “Some plan their holidays, but others take a decision at the last minute. All kinds of vehicles can be seen on the roads,” Puttanna, a resident of Shivananda circle, said.

Traffic control rooms received several phone calls from motorists, who were desperate to know when the traffic jams would be cleared. “We are concentrating on outbound vehicles and clearing their routes. As many residents prefer to go out of the city during the four-day holiday, it is our duty to ensure that they are given preference to move out as they have to reach their destination faster,” said a senior traffic police officer.

“Police department personnel are also caught in the jam. We are trying to move them to spots, where the peak hour traffic is creating traffic snarls. We never expected that the jams will happen so early. Usually it happens in the night, but today it happened from evening itself,” another officer said.