Bengaluru faces massive traffic jams amid rain and Diwali long weekend. Full details

There was a massive traffic gridlock at Hosur Road towards Bengaluru's Electronic City. Many commuters were stuck in traffic for hours.

As the festive weekend kicked in, Bengaluru faced the usual traffic snarls on Wednesday evening. There was a massive traffic gridlock at Hosur Road towards the Electronic City. Many commuters were stuck in traffic for hours, and heavy rain added to the mess.

Ahead of the Diwali festival, many people leave for their hometowns, and this is believed to be the main reason for traffic in Bengaluru. (X/ @Ananthaforu)

Traffic snarls in Bengaluru

Ahead of the Diwali festival, many people leave for their hometowns, and this is believed to be the main reason for traffic. Many commuters also buy crackers from the wholesale stores in Hosur Road, and the shops also led to the congestion. The social media users complained that the gridlock remained for hours.

A user said, “Looks like a long weekend has already set in. The traffic towards Hosur is choc-a-bloc from Chandapura junction.”

Another user complained that the traffic was stopped for 30 minutes due to the VIP movement. Vinay, in an X post, said, “No, it was due to a traffic block for VIP movement at Electronic City Veerasandra signal towards Hosur. Many VIPs were attending ESI hospital inauguration. Traffic was stopped for almost a flat 30 minutes.”

Meanwhile, the Whitefield area also saw significant traffic jams on Wednesday evening post work hours. Massive rain in and around the Whitefield area on Wednesday evening brought traffic to stand still. Bengaluru police said, “Slow moving traffic due to Rain in & around #WhitefieldTrafficPS limits, drive/ ride carefully and cautiously. Call 112 for immediate assistance during any emergency. Wednesday 30.10.2024.”

On Wednesday, Bengaluru traffic police warned of traffic congestion in the city ahead of the festival and appealed to commuters to plan accordingly. The statement read, “As the festive season approaches with Deepavali and Kannada Rajyostava, followed by a long weekend from October 31 to November 3, 2024, Bengaluru traffic police would like to inform the public that significant traffic congestion is anticipated in the city due to increased travel activity during this period. To ensure the safety and convenience of all road users, suitable traffic bandobast has been made.”