A view of the Phoenix Mall of Asia in Byatarayanapura.
Credit: DH Photo/BK Janardhan
Bengaluru: Since its opening in October, Phoenix Mall of Asia on Ballari Road’s service lane near Hebbal has been mired in controversy, making life hell for residents and commuters, triggering massive traffic jams.
Congestion on the opening day of October 28 jumped to 580% of normal days, and has remained consistently high since.
Bengaluru traffic police data shared exclusively with DH shows that on October 28 evening, congestion near the mall jumped from an average of about 250 metres to nearly 1,700 metres, more than what was observed earlier, with traffic jams stretching up to Aster CMI Hospital.
Road users struggled to negotiate the block as it took them over one and a half hours to cross two kilometres from Hebbal junction.
On Christmas Eve, this jumped to an alarming 4,200 metres of congestion (1,580% jump), causing serious problems to residents and commuters.
The traffic police reported congestion till the Veterinary College in Hebbal.
Although congestion subsequently reduced, data shows that January 4 (Thursday) recorded 600 metres of congestion length, much higher than the average.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M N Anucheth told DH that this was due to several problems with the mall. "The mall has parking for about 3,400 vehicles, which is grossly inadequate and needs space for at least 10,000 vehicles. The entry-exit gates are towards the service road without alternative exit points," he said.
Although other malls in the city see similar problems, they have adopted a few measures that could be replicated at Phoenix Mall of Asia to manage congestion.
Average congestion around three malls on major roads in different parts of the city recorded between August and December 2023 showed congestion spread out throughout the day, peaking towards the evening and late nights, on both weekdays and weekends.
The Orion Mall on Dr Rajkumar Road, Rajajinagar, saw weekend traffic peak at midnight while weekday traffic peaked at 10 am with about 225 metres of congestion. Similarly, the Forum South Mall on Kanakapura Road had weekend traffic peak late at night although it remained between 150 metres and 250 metres throughout the day. Surprisingly, Phoenix Marketcity in the east had an average of about 300 metres of traffic at 8 pm on weekdays, much higher than traffic on the weekends.
"Weekends are a problem with significant congestion as parking space is insufficient in the Forum South Mall and there is also an apartment complex near it. We have deployed a constable outside the gates of the apartment to ensure that 20 metres of road is free on either side to allow free movement. We are also trying to change taxi pickup and drop points," said Shiva Prakash Devaraju, DCP Traffic (South).
In the east, Kuldeep Kumar Jain, DCP Traffic (East), said some of the measures, that have helped them keep traffic congestion in check, include a dedicated lane for traffic moving straight and prohibiting unauthorised parking on the sides of the road. "We have also allowed traffic moving straight towards Hoodi to continue without interruption, which keeps traffic flowing," he said.