5 months ago
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The agelong week coinciding with Christmas and the New Year, eagerly anticipated by galore residents of Bengaluru, has turned into a stressful acquisition for thousands arsenic monolithic postulation snarls choked each large exit roads from the city, and question costs surged sharply. While the unreserved retired of the metropolis tested commuters’ patience, adjacent tourer destinations specified arsenic Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Gokarna and Mysuru witnessed a important influx of visitors.
With Christmas falling connected Thursday and galore offices granting permission done the week until January 1, 2026, the exodus from the metropolis began arsenic aboriginal arsenic Wednesday. By Wednesday evening itself, exit corridors peculiarly Mysuru Road, Tumakuru Road and Old Madras Road were choked with slow-moving outbound postulation arsenic families and groups acceptable disconnected for holidays.
On Wednesday morning, congestion peaked connected the Bengaluru–Mysuru access-controlled highway, particularly adjacent the toll plazas, wherever agelong lines of bumper-to-bumper postulation stretched for kilometres. Hundreds of vehicles heading towards Mysuru and further connected to Kodagu were caught successful the jam, with galore commuters reporting delays of astir an hr astatine aggregate points. The snarls had begun connected Tuesday nighttime and continued good into Wednesday morning.
Suresh Naik P., an IT nonrecreational travelling from Electronics City, said the concern worsened arsenic soon arsenic helium joined the road via NICE Road. “Traffic kept getting worse arsenic we moved ahead, and the toll gates became large choke points. Normally, it takes astir two-and-a-half hours to scope Mysuru from Bengaluru. This time, due to the fact that of the festive rush, the travel took astir three-and-a-half hours,” helium said.
Inside the city, the postulation constabulary braced for congestion, peculiarly astir fashionable buying malls wherever peculiar postulation arrangements were made. Officials said, “The measures were aimed astatine ensuring smoother question and preventing spillover congestion connected arterial roads”.
A elder constabulary authoritative said that portion nary azygous corridor reported implicit gridlock, the measurement of vehicles was importantly higher than usual. “We anticipated accrued postulation due to the fact that of the agelong play and festive celebrations. Elaborate arrangements person been made to negociate the flow, with further unit deployed astatine delicate junctions and adjacent malls,” the authoritative said.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) announced the cognition of 1,000 further buses during the Christmas festival period. These peculiar services, operated successful summation to regular schedules, ran connected December 19, 20 and 24 to facilitate outbound question up of Christmas connected December 25.
KSRTC officials said instrumentality peculiar services from assorted intra-State and inter-State destinations to Bengaluru would beryllium operated connected December 26 and 28 to easiness the post-festival rush.
Surge pricing
The festive play triggered a crisp emergence successful aerial and backstage autobus fares. Ticket prices from Bengaluru to cities specified arsenic Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Mumbai climbed by 20%–30%, according to travellers and booking platforms. Industry sources said the surge pricing is apt to proceed until aft the archetypal week of January.
Murali Krishnan, a nonmigratory of JP Nagar, said the outgo escalation near him with fewer options. “I had to publication tickets to Kochi for my household for December 27. Trains were wholly full, and autobus tickets were astir arsenic costly arsenic flights. With nary choice, I booked formation tickets for ₹6,000 per person. Under mean circumstances, it would person outgo astir ₹3,500 to ₹4,000,” helium said.
