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Rain, VIP movement: Lucknow in a jam
Heavy rain, VIP movement, and protests caused severe traffic jams in Lucknow, especially during peak hours, exposing flaws in the city's 'smart city' claims.
Heavy rain, route diversions due to VIP movement and protests at various locations brought traffic in the state capital to a standstill, choking flyovers, roads and highways passing through the city and exposing ‘smart city’ claims on Wednesday morning.
The traffic mess was witnessed in different areas of the city, especially during the peak office hours.
Among all, a stretch of about 5-6 km on Faizabad Road (Ayodhya highway) was most affected with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace right from BBD University to Polytechnic crossing with three flyovers on the stretch and service road near the high court swamped with vehicles.
A jam about 2-3 km long was seen on Shaheed Path, starting from Awadh Bus Stand to Husadiya Crossing.
Similarly, the stretch near Indira Gandhi Pratishthan was packed. People complained of similar situations in Vibhuti Khand and Patrakarpuram in Gomti Nagar, Hanneman crossing, Lohia crossing, Qaiserbagh crossing, Vidhan Sabha Marg, the entire flyover starting from Vivekanand Polyclinic to Kapoorthala Crossing and Dandaiya market.
What led to traffic failure?
The deplorable traffic situation was exacerbated due to protests by BSP and Dalit outfits at multiple locations in the city.
VIP movement due to the third death anniversary of former UP CM Kalyan Singh, at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan (IGP), and the unveiling of the statue of martyr Captain Anshuman Singh, Kirti Chakra, at Buddheshwar crossing, led to traffic chaos in the entire area slowing down vehicles even on arterial roads.
A large number of BJP workers also reached IGP, aggravating the situation. Barricading put up at various places ensured that a long queue of vehicles was formed.
Similarly, the protest at Hazratganj caused a jam lasting almost a kilometer along Vidhan Bhawan Marg.
People lash out on X
Inconvenienced and drenched by the downpour, people lashed out at the Lucknow traffic on social media, posting pictures of the mess they had come out of.
“Shahid Path and Kamta under Chinhat Police Station and Vibhuti Khand Police Station are completely jammed due to which advocates are facing difficulty in coming to the High Court. There is a possibility that fresh cases filed will be dismissed,” wrote Devki Nandan Pandey, joint secretary 1 Oudh Bar Association, on X.
Ashutosh Mishra, another user wrote, “Just one question, what is the fault of Lucknow residents on Hindu Gaurav Diwas that there is a jam for hours in front of IGP Gomti Nagar? Who are those leaders whose security and respect is more important than the convenience of the people of the city?”
Sharing her expertise on traffic issues, Shivani Saxena, who did her bachelor’s studies in civil engineering from IIT Kanpur, master’s in civil and environmental engineering from University of California, said that people using private vehicles for daily commutes and not using public transport, is one of the big reasons for swelling traffic in cities like Lucknow.
“Public transport needs to be made more attractive, convenient, and affordable to emerge as a viable alternative to personal motorised vehicles.
“Technology can play a key role in increasing the capacity of our existing transportation systems and improving passenger experience. This becomes all the more relevant as Lucknow positions itself as a Smart City,” she suggested.
