With the closure of educational institutions on Monday due to heavy showers the previous day, more number of vehicles hit the roads in the city for last-minute Deepavali shopping. Vehicle users had to wait for a long time before they reached their destinations on Oppanakara Street or Gandhipuram.
On Dr. Nanjappa Road, temporary shops occupied a major stretch of the footpaths and even some space of the road and hence, the space available for pedestrians and vehicles was less. Another reason for the slow movement of vehicles was potholes.
The police said that they have taken all possible efforts to put an end to unauthorised parking alongside the road. “The main reason for the congestion is a drastic increase in the number of vehicles plying on the road. Many prefer using their individual four-wheelers and two-wheelers rather than the public transport,” traffic police personnel said.
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On Oppanakara Street (National Highway-209), the police said that they had to stop vehicles from Ukkadam at three places –Vysial Street Junction, Pothys Junction and Raja Street Junction – to allow the thousands of pedestrians thronging the shops to cross the road. “Vehicles from Town Hall to Ukkadam are also stopped at many places for pedestrians,” they added.
Many traffic signals that remained turned off during the day added to the traffic inconvenience. The police claimed that they had deployed adequate strength for traffic regulation during the festival season.