BENGALURU
Bengaluru witnessed heavy traffic congestion on Monday morning as office-goers returned after an extended holiday break, particularly around the Hebbal Flyover and Baptist Hospital Road. The newly opened second loop, designed to ease traffic, instead exposed emerging bottlenecks.
Traffic peaked between 8:45 am and 11 am, with vehicle volumes doubling or even tripling on narrower stretches, according to a senior Hebbal traffic police officer. “Peak traffic was expected after the long holiday. Manual interventions helped prevent gridlock despite the high congestion,” he said.
DCP North Traffic, Jayaprakash, highlighted congestion hotspots near the Hebbal police station, noting heavy inbound traffic from Sunday evening and Monday morning. Outgoing traffic also surges on Fridays and Saturdays. Authorities expect similar patterns to continue as routines normalize.
Commuters reported chokepoints at the Baptist Hospital bus stop, where traffic from the Outer Ring Road loop, Airport Road, Tumakuru Road, KR Puram, and service roads like Esteem Mall converge, creating crisscrossing flows. The down ramp from the new loop lands near the bus stop, forcing vehicles from ORR to veer right onto Airport Road while others take left turns, often leading to chaos.
One commuter said, “The flyover is smooth, but descending near Baptist Hospital is a nightmare. It took 20 minutes just to pass the bus stop with buses and cabs merging.” Another added, “Buses block two lanes at the end of the descent, forcing vehicles from the loop to swerve sharply.”
While the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) hailed the loop as a game-changer for Hebbal jams, commuters are urging immediate measures such as relocating the bus stop or adding lanes to improve traffic flow.
