The woes of commuters in the city have only worsened as the monsoon rain has added to the already chaotic traffic situation. With damaged road stretches across the city, commuters are spending more time trying to reach their destination.
On the Outer Ring Road and in the central business district areas such as J.C. Road, the situation has attained nightmarish proportions.
“The number of people breaking rules such as riding on the footpath or jumping signals has also increased. People are frustrated being stuck on the road for hours on end and getting drenched in the rain, especially those on two-wheelers,” said Trisha Mazumder, a software development professional.
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For a traffic police force which is already overburdened, the rains have come as an additional challenge. The Twitter account of the city traffic police, @blrcitytraffic, is filled with updates on jams every morning and evening during peak hours.
“It took me one-and-a-half hours today to travel 3.1 km between Trinity Church and Infantry Road,” said Ganesh Prasanna, who works on Infantry Road.
All over the city, traffic jams are being reported on a daily basis as more people are taking out their cars to avoid getting drenched in the rain, according to police officials.
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According to traffic police, the worst traffic jams in the city are being witnessed on HAL Airport Road, Whitefield, K.R. Puram, Tin Factory, Outer Ring Road, Silk Board junction, Outer Ring Rroad near Padmanabhanagar, Mysuru Road, Majestic, Vijayanagar, Okalipuram, Yeshwantpur and Peenya.
The list includes areas on the outskirts of the city as well as those in the city centre such as J.C. Road, Hudson Circle, and Hebbal flyover.
Flooding of roads and potholes are major reasons for slow-moving traffic besides the high number of four-wheelers on the road, police officers said.