Commuters get stuck for hours in Bengaluru’s Hebbal as 45-minute rain brings traffic to a standstill
As the rain intensified around 3 p.m., the roads on all four sides of Hebbal Circle – from Yelahanka side, Nagawara side, Devi Circle side and the down ramp towards airport — were inundated leading to a choke in traffic flow
Traffic movement was disrupted due to waterlogging near Hebbal flyover after the rain in Bengaluru on Monday, August 19.
| Photo Credit: Jahnavi T.R.
A mere 45-minute spell of rain led to traffic pileups all over Bengaluru for three hours on Monday, August 19, with Hebbal and Outer Ring Road being the worst affected areas. With 3.3-kilometre traffic congestion on Ballari Road, many commuters from North Bengaluru took more than two hours to get to the other side of Hebbal flyover between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
As the rain intensified around 3 p.m., the roads on all four sides of Hebbal Circle – from Yelahanka side, Nagawara side, Devi Circle side and the down ramp towards airport — were inundated leading to a choke in traffic flow.
The Hindu reporter was also on the service road that leads to Veerannapalya between 3 p.m. and 3.45 p.m. and saw several ambulances getting stuck for a few minutes as traffic moved a meter a minute. The water had risen so much on the roads that the wheels of most vehicles were under water.
Many students returning from schools and colleges, people travelling to each other’s houses for Raksha Bandhan, and mothers with children were all stuck in traffic. “I was taking my daughter to her cousin’s house in R.T. Nagar for the festival. I had imagined it to be a short trip, but I have been stuck in traffic for more than an hour now,” said Radha, a resident of Byatarayanapura, who was commuting in a BMTC bus.
The congestion also caused a spillover effect causing traffic pileups on residential roads in Jakkur, Byatarayanapura, Kempapura, and Amruthahalli. The residents of these localities also faced difficulties in getting autorickshaw or cab rides during these hours.
“In a short duration, there was too much rainfall between 2.45 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. Near Hebbal, the traffic congestion peaked at around 4.30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and it cleared by 6 p.m. All the areas around Outer Ring Road between Goraguntepalya and Kalyan Nagar faced traffic snarls,” said M.N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru.
Traffic moved at a slow pace in several parts of the Central Business District (CBD) including Jayamahal Road, Nandidurga Road, Queen’s Road and other parts of the City including Bannerghatta Road.
Mr. Anucheth said, “Traffic was affected across the city due to the rain. While our peak hour is generally between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., on Monday it was 4.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.”
Although there was respite for a few hours in the evening, traffic congestion resumed again in the night hours in Hebbal.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT