Bengaluru’s festive cheer was marred by traffic mayhem on Christmas Eve as Bellari Road, commonly known as Airport Road, came to a standstill.
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The recently inaugurated Phoenix Mall of Asia, situated near Yelahanka, attracting a surge of visitors on the holiday eve. Despite a general reduction in traffic across the city as residents headed out for Christmas and New Year celebrations, the roads leading to the mall experienced gridlock from 2 pm onwards. This unexpected surge prompted the traffic police to issue advisories, warning commuters of the congestion and advising them to plan accordingly.
Source: ScrilNow
The advisory, released at 6 pm, specifically highlighted the overwhelming influx of visitors to the Mall of Asia, causing significant congestion on the Bellary service road leading to the mall. Parking spaces were reported as full, intensifying the ordeal for motorists, including those headed to the airport. Hebbal traffic police, in another advisory, cited the combination of the long weekend and Christmas festivities as the cause of heavy traffic congestion and slow-moving traffic at Mall of Asia and Byatarayanapura junction towards the airport. Commuters and visitors were urged to plan ahead and consider alternative routes.
Social media platforms were ablaze with complaints, with one netizen, Sudhi, expressing frustration at the two-hour crawl from Aster Hospital to cross Mall of Asia. Sudhi called attention to the bottleneck at Amruthahalli signal due to the connection between the main road and the service road.
Source: One India Kannada
Phoenix Mall of Asia, inaugurated in October 2023 and sprawling across 13 acres, has faced criticism for exacerbating traffic congestion, particularly during weekends. The mall, known for unveiling one of the tallest Christmas trees at 100 feet on December 16, hosted Christmas celebrations on December 24. However, reports surfaced that the mall is now charging Rs 200 for pedestrian entry and Rs 150 for cars.
The traffic chaos prompted concerned citizens to take action, with an online petition titled ‘Massive Traffic Jam due to Unplanned ‘Mall of Asia,’ Impacting Neighboring Residential Areas’ gaining over 1,100 signatures on Change.org since its launch on December 21. Experts weighed in on the issue, pointing out the lack of a traffic impact assessment before the mall’s opening. The service road in front of the mall, near the GKVK campus in Sabrinagar, is deemed inadequate for managing large crowds during entry and exit.
Source: Money control
Furthermore, inadequate parking facilities have added to the predicament, with the mall’s parking space capable of accommodating only around 3,500 vehicles despite a weekend footfall ranging from 50,000 to 60,000. This confluence of factors has ignited a public outcry against the unplanned expansion of Phoenix Mall of Asia, raising questions about the adequacy of infrastructure planning to cope with the burgeoning visitor numbers.
