Why Wednesdays and Thursdays are the most congested in Bengaluru

Sources say many techies prefer to work from the office from Tuesdays to Thursdays for extended weekends so they can visit their native places.

Ever wondered which days witness the most traffic congestion in India's Silicon Valley? According to the Bengaluru Traffic Police, Wednesdays and Thursdays top the list.

In an interview with Moneycontrol, Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) MN Anucheth attributed this congestion to a blend of traditional office work and routine business activities.

"Wednesdays see the highest congestion, with tech park occupancy also the highest on this day," said Anucheth.

Bengaluru traffic police collected data from 33 major tech parks on locations like Outer Ring Road and Sarjapur Road. This data includes hourly incoming and outgoing traffic information provided by these tech parks.

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Anucheth suggested adopting a calibrated approach for companies by encouraging the distribution of employees working from the office from Mondays to Fridays, rather than limiting it to three days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays).

"I believe that such an approach will help distribute the flow of vehicles and people more evenly," he said.

Sources say many techies prefer working from the office from Tuesdays to Thursdays for an extended weekend, allowing them to visit their native places or some weekend getaways. This increases the number of vehicles, especially on Wednesdays and Thursdays. While the Bengaluru Metro is connected to Whitefield, it is yet to extend its network to other tech hubs on Outer Ring Road, Hebbal, and Electronics City, forcing office-goers to rely on their vehicles. Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which has reduced the number of AC buses, along with the absence of dedicated lanes, leading to increased journey times, is less attractive for white-collar workers.

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Traffic patterns in Bengaluru vary from Mondays to Fridays compared to Saturdays and Sundays. Generally, peak hours occur from 7:30 am to 11 am and 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm on weekdays. During weekends, peak hours shift to 11 am to 2 pm and 6:30 pm to 11 pm, likely due to people going out for leisure activities.

Bengaluru Traffic Police, which has a calendar of Indian holidays for traffic planning, is considering incorporating a schedule for US holidays too.

"On a particular Thursday, we observed significantly fewer vehicles during the morning peak hour, but it picked up around 11-11:30 am. This coincided with the start of the Thanksgiving weekend in the US. There seems to be a direct correlation; perhaps many people were off and engaged in personal activities. We already have a calendar of events for Indian holidays for traffic planning and may include one for US holidays as well," Anucheth said.

"We have also noticed an increase in outgoing and incoming traffic outside Bengaluru after the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that people are taking more trips to other places," he added.