Deep-water commotion reduces traffic to a crawl in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Several roads in the central business district (CBD) and beyond witnessed snail-paced vehicular movement Tuesday, especially during the morning and evening peak hours.
Heavy waterlogging at Hunasamaranahalli Junction in Chikkajala, near Yelahanka, affected traffic heading towards Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The knee-deep waterlogging was so severe drivers of heavy vehicles like buses and trucks chose not to drive into the waters, opting instead to drive by the side where the water wasn't too deep.Private cars and cabs followed them, leading to a crawl.
"We requested bus and truck drivers to ride through the middle so cars and cabs could move on the sides. Fearing the water running deep would affect their vehicles, they just refused. To make them understand the level of water, we installed barricades and our men stood there, with water coming up to their knees, to convince them their fears were unfounded. However, not many were convinced," a senior police officer said.
Sensing that the matter could worsen by evening, joint commissioner of police (traffic) MN Anucheth posted on X and other social media, requesting commuters to avoid Hunasamaranahalli.
Despite traffic police requesting the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to drain the water using pumps, the effort was ineffective.
A luggage autorickshaw broke down on the elevated expressway leading to the airport, further slowing down motorists.
Similarly, heavy waterlogging at Nagawara flyover near Manyata tech park, and on the Outer Ring Road between Kadubeesanahalli and Marathahalli, deeply affected traffic movement. Vehicles were forced to move at a speed of less than 20kmph, sometimes even stopping for a while. The lane of slow-moving vehicles stretched for more than 2km at both places.
Traffic flow was affected on many roads near Lalbagh, Mavalli, Basavanagudi, Shantinagar, Koramangala, Yeshwantpur, KR Market, Jayanagar, Mysuru Road, Jalahalli, Goraguntepalya Junction, Bellandur, and Whitefield. "Waterlogging on many of these roads affected the traffic flow. In a bid to avoid the waterlogged spots, commuters — particularly car and two-wheeler drivers — drove on the side lanes, slowing down the movement of other vehicles. This again caused a long line of slow-moving traffic all over the city," a senior traffic cop said.