Despite a detailed traffic plan involving 13 route restrictions, additional police deployment, designated parking spaces and no-stopping zones, Lucknow’s roads remained congested during the Dhanteras rush, with traffic spilling from major markets into residential lanes. The situation improved marginally on Saturday, but vehicles continued to move at a slow pace on several stretches.
Even the stretch outside the BJP office on Vidhan Sabha Marg became a bottleneck during the festive rush on Saturday (Deepak Gupta/HT)
Nearly 9,000 new vehicles reportedly purchased on Dhanteras may have added to the pressure on the city’s roads, although the figure alone does not explain the gridlock. UP Adarsh Vyapar Mandal state president Sanjay Gupta said the automobile sector was expecting retail sales of around 6,000 two-wheelers and 3,000 cars, reflecting robust consumer sentiment and festive enthusiasm. Last year, around 2,625 four-wheelers and 5,000 two-wheelers were sold on Dhanteras.
From market stretches to neighbourhood roads, motorists found themselves caught in slow-moving traffic as cars and two-wheelers competed for limited road space on roads leading to major markets like Bhootnath, Patrakarpuram, Hazratganj, Chinhat, Kamta and Bangla Bazar in Ashiana among others. The festive rush pushed several stretches close to saturation, while diversions intended to ease the pressure often meant vehicles were funnelled onto alternative roads that were also struggling to cope.
According to a detailed press note issued by Lucknow police, heavy and commercial vehicles were to be kept out of major markets, local diversions were planned for light vehicles, and additional traffic personnel were to be deployed at busy intersections.
A separate traffic notification listed 13 restrictions across key stretches and markets, including Nakkhas, Bhootnath, Patrakarpuram, Charbagh, Hazratganj, Alka and Parivartan Chowk.
BJP office parking adds to woes
Even the stretch outside the BJP office on Vidhan Sabha Marg became a bottleneck during the festive rush on Saturday, with a queue of vehicles, mostly SUVs, allegedly parked outside the premises and along Darul Shifa Road, slowing traffic towards Hazratganj and Ashok Marg. The spillover further choked Atal Chowk, leaving commuters crawling through one of the city’s busiest intersections.
ACP traffic (central), Pradeep Kumar Yadav, however, denied that the stretch witnessed a prolonged jam. “Senior party leaders sometimes get down at the gate, while some enter directly into the office. This leads to a traffic disruption for a few minutes at most. Our traffic personnel remained deployed there throughout,” he told HT.
Passengers jostle for buses, trains
Passengers heading home for Diwali and Chhath crowded the roads outside Awadh bus stand early on Saturday, struggling to find space on buses and private vehicles after failing to get train tickets. A passenger travelling to Gorakhpur said he had been unable to book a train or flight ticket and had turned to buses. However, after three full buses passed, he was waiting for a fourth, hoping to find a seat.
A similar rush was witnessed at Charbagh railway station, where general coaches were particularly crowded. UPSRTC regional manager Vimal Rajan said additional buses and trips were being deployed on busy routes based on passenger demand. The corporation’s festival operations will continue from November 6 to 17.
