Bengaluru traffic congestion stranded long-distance buses and passengers for hours on Friday night as heavy rain and festive-season travel overwhelmed key exit routes, with traffic easing only around 2.30am, according to traffic police and the Times of India report. Some passengers spent five to six hours on the roads while trying to leave the city for Dasara festivities.
Tumakuru Road was among the worst-affected corridors. A traffic police officer cited in the report said 800 to 900 buses usually pass through the Yeshwantpur-Goraguntepalya stretch on normal weekends. During festivals and long weekends, that number rises to more than 2,500 buses.
The surge coincided with heavy evening rain, which further slowed movement near Govardhan theatre and beyond. The officer said approach roads including Navarang theatre, Chord Road, Sankey Tank Road, CV Raman Road and stretches of the Outer Ring Road were also congested. More than 12 traffic police personnel were deployed to regulate movement in the area.
A KSRTC conductor travelling on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route said the bus left Majestic almost on schedule but took more than 3.5 hours to travel from Navarang theatre to Goraguntepalya. Four passengers waiting near Govardhan theatre for pickup had to wait for hours, the conductor said, adding that they repeatedly called the bus because they were worried about missing it.
The report linked part of the disruption to the absence of dedicated bus bays and shelters. The traffic police officer said buses often stop or park haphazardly while picking up passengers because of space constraints, obstructing traffic on the arterial road. The problem becomes more pronounced when the number of long-distance services rises sharply during festivals and extended weekends.
Authorities have proposed widening the stretch near Govardhan theatre and constructing bus shelters and bus bays. Traffic police have also suggested shifting KSRTC operations to the Basaveshwara bus terminal in Peenya, which the report said has remained unused for years.
Another proposal envisaged a transport hub at Madavara near the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre to handle long-distance buses outside the core city. Under that plan, passengers would reach the hub using Metro or city buses before boarding intercity services. Similar proposals have been discussed for Mysuru Road near Challaghatta, KR Pura, Byappanahalli and Hebbal, but the report said they have made little to no progress.
Congestion was also reported on Hosur Road and connecting highways. Commuters flagged traffic between Attibele and Bommasandra, while traffic piled up near Chandapura. The report attributed the delays in that corridor to incessant rain, pending works by the National Highways Authority of India and K-Ride, and waterlogging near Chandapura.
The immediate disruption exposed the difficulty of handling festival-period bus demand through city roads that also carry regular commuter traffic. The next operational steps cited in the report are the proposed road, bus-bay and terminal interventions, although no implementation timeline was provided.
