Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district headquarters and its surrounding areas witnessed severe traffic congestion on Sunday, May 10, as a combination of weekend tourism, auspicious ceremonies, and religious gatherings brought the city’s road network to a near standstill. Several arterial roads, junctions, highways, beaches, parks, and temple areas experienced unprecedented crowds and vehicular movement throughout the day.
Traffic snarls were reported from early morning at key junctions including Jyothi Circle, State Bank, Nanthoor, and Pumpwell. Long queues of vehicles stretched across major roads, while National Highways 66 and 75 witnessed kilometre-long traffic blocks due to heavy inflow of private vehicles, tourist buses, and wedding processions.
Wedding season worsens congestion
Mangaluru witnessed a spike in traffic primarily due to the large number of wedding ceremonies held across the city and neighbouring towns on the auspicious weekend. Marriage halls and convention centres remained packed from morning till late evening, resulting in heavy movement of cars, buses, and taxis.
Vehicles moving towards prominent wedding venues caused bottlenecks at several strategic points. Traffic police personnel were deployed in large numbers to regulate movement, but the overwhelming vehicular density made crowd management extremely challenging.
Commuters complained of delays extending from 30 minutes to over an hour at several busy intersections. Many residents also reported difficulties in reaching hospitals, railway stations, and commercial centres due to traffic diversions and congestion.
Beaches packed with tourists
The intense summer heat drove thousands of residents and tourists towards the coastal belt, leading to overcrowding at popular beaches across Dakshina Kannada district.
Panambur Beach emerged as one of the biggest crowd magnets of the day, attracting thousands of visitors from Mangaluru and neighbouring districts. The beach premises witnessed a severe shortage of parking space as vehicles spilled onto adjoining roads, worsening congestion in the surrounding areas.
Tannirbhavi Beach and Ullal Beach also experienced heavy footfall during the evening hours. Families, youngsters, and tourists thronged the beaches to enjoy the weekend holiday, creating long queues at entry points and parking zones.
Someshwara Beach, particularly its rocky shoreline, became a preferred destination for youngsters and photography enthusiasts. Authorities reportedly faced difficulties in managing both traffic flow and visitor movement near the narrow access roads leading to the beach.
Parks and tourist destinations see heavy turnout
Apart from beaches, several parks and tourist attractions in and around Mangaluru recorded a massive turnout. Kadri Park and Gandhi Park remained crowded with families and children throughout the day.
Pilikula Nisargadhama also witnessed an overwhelming influx of tourists. Hundreds of buses, cars, and two-wheelers from neighbouring districts arrived at the eco-tourism destination, resulting in traffic congestion on connecting roads. Parking areas within the premises were reportedly filled to capacity by afternoon.
Local vendors and businesses near tourist spots benefited from the increased crowd movement, with eateries, ice cream parlours, and roadside stalls witnessing brisk business during the weekend rush.
Devotees flock to temples
Religious centres across Dakshina Kannada district witnessed a significant increase in devotees owing to special poojas, weekend rituals, and wedding-related visits.
Prominent pilgrimage destinations including Kukke Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Kadri Sri Manjunatha Temple, Mangaladevi Temple, and Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple saw large gatherings throughout the day. Devotees from various parts of Karnataka and neighbouring states arrived in private vehicles and tourist buses, adding to the traffic pressure on highways and internal roads.
Temple authorities and police personnel coordinated crowd management efforts, but several areas surrounding temple premises remained congested for long durations.
Police struggle to manage traffic flow
Traffic police personnel had a demanding day as they attempted to regulate movement at major junctions and highways from early morning onwards. Several officers were stationed at busy intersections to manually control vehicle movement and prevent complete gridlocks.
Despite efforts by the authorities, traffic flow remained sluggish in many parts of the city until late evening. Commuters travelling towards the outskirts and tourist destinations faced particularly long delays.
Residents expressed concern over the city’s growing traffic burden during weekends and holidays, with many calling for improved traffic planning, better parking infrastructure, and stricter regulation of roadside parking.
With Mangaluru continuing to emerge as a major tourism and pilgrimage hub in coastal Karnataka, experts believe that infrastructure upgrades and coordinated traffic management measures will be essential to handle future holiday rushes more efficiently.