Bengaluru: With children spending precious school hours stuck in traffic on the Varthur-Gunjur stretch (SH-35) in east Bengaluru, traffic police have imposed additional restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles.Heavy goods vehicles will now be restricted from entering the corridor from 7-11am, 1-3pm, and 4-9pm, covering key morning and evening peak-hour periods as well as school bus movement timings. Previously, heavy vehicles were barred between 7am and 11am.Officials said the new restrictions were introduced following complaints over worsening traffic on the busy corridor. Police said the restrictions will remain in force until the traffic situation improves substantially.“The road is narrow and has multiple T-junctions. Until traffic movement normalises and the road is widened to handle the current volume, these restrictions will continue,” an official added.According to Whitefield traffic police, the movement of heavy vehicles on the state highway contributes significantly to bottlenecks, particularly at junctions and other choke points along the corridor. “This is a state highway and naturally sees a high volume of heavy vehicle movement. However, considering the present road conditions, traffic volume and movement of schoolchildren, a decision was taken to restrict heavy vehicles during additional afternoon and evening slots as well,” a police officer told TOI.The officer acknowledged that while enforcement teams have been stopping trucks and other heavy vehicles at entry points during restricted hours, some vehicles entered the corridor before the restrictions took effect.
