Traffic chaos left Bellari Road (Airport Road) in North Bengaluru choked, with crowds thronging Phoenix Mall of Asia, near Yelahanka, on Christmas Eve. Motorists were stuck for nearly two hours, including many who are airport-bound.
In general, Bengaluru roads saw relatively lower traffic on December 24, with many residents leaving the city for Christmas and New Year celebrations. However, roads leading to the Mall of Asia were chock-a-block with vehicles from 2 pm onwards.
This prompted the traffic police to issue an advisory at 6pm. The advisory stated, "Due to a huge influx of visitors to the Mall of Asia, there is traffic congestion on the Bellary service road leading up to the mall. Parking is full. Commuters are advised to plan accordingly."
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Another advisory by Hebbal traffic police said, "Due to the long weekend and Christmas festival holidays, there is heavy traffic congestion and slow-moving traffic at Mall of Asia & Byatarayanapura junction towards the airport. Commuters/visitors are advised to plan accordingly and use alternate routes."
Sudhi, a netizen, wrote on X: "It took 2 hours from Aster Hospital to cross Mall of Asia. Sir, please address the major choke due to the main road to service road connection at Amruthahalli signal."
Phoenix Mall of Asia, which opened in October 2023 and spans 13 acres, has faced criticism due to increased traffic congestion, especially during weekends. The mall unveiled one of the tallest Christmas trees at a height of 100 feet on December 16 and conducted Christmas celebrations on December 24.
Some netizens said that the mall is now charging Rs 200 for pedestrian entry and Rs 150 for cars.
An online petition launched on Change.org on December 21 titled 'Massive traffic Jam due to unplanned 'Mall of Asia,' impacting neighboring residential areas,' received more than 1,100 signatures so far.
Experts said the service road in front of mall, near the GKVK campus in Sabrinagar, is unable to manage large crowds, particularly during entry and exit. However, no traffic impact assessment was conducted before the mall opening. Another concern is the inadequate parking facilities at the mall. Despite a weekend footfall of 50,000-60,000, the parking facility at the mall can only accommodate around 3,500 vehicles.
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