Massive rush puts brake on traffic throughout day

Lucknow: The New Year began on a gridlocked note as massive crowds poured onto the streets for temple visits, leisure outings and celebrations, pushing the city's traffic infrastructure to its limits. From early morning till late evening, long queues of vehicles and pedestrians were seen across major roads, causing inconvenience to commuters.Devotional fervour peaked at Hanumant Dham in Hazratganj, where devotees queued for more than 1km for darshan. The rush was amplified by the conclusion of an 11-month-long strict fast observed by the temple's mahant, Brijesh Maharaj, drawing thousands of followers. Similar scenes unfolded at Chandrika Devi temple in Bakshi-Ka-Talab, where crowds began assembling before dawn.Parks, hotels and residential societies also remained abuzz with celebrations. Rashtriya Prerna Sthal attracted large numbers of visitors eager to click photographs. Heavy footfall was also reported at Ambedkar memorial park, Janeshwar Mishra park, Bada Imambara, Ghantaghar and the zoo. Flower markets witnessed brisk business, further adding to roadside congestion.Traffic police imposed diversions on several arterial routes and created designated parking zones near temples and tourist spots. Authorities warned that vehicles parked outside notified areas would be challaned. Despite these measures, movement remained slow throughout the day.Several stretches witnessed near-standstill conditions. The road from Sikanderabad Chauraha towards Nishatganj and Mahanagar remained heavily congested for hours. Long traffic snarls were also reported at Shaheed Smarak, Daliganj and Swasthya Bhawan chauraha, where vehicle queues stretched close to 3km. Severe congestion was reported on IIM Road, Basant Kunj, around the Medical College area and near Dariya Wali masjid."It took me nearly two hours to cover just 2km. Everyone is stuck, and there's no end in sight," said Rakesh Singh, a daily office-goer. Another driver, Neha Sharma of Gomtinagar, said, "I promised my kids we would go to the park, but we spent the entire morning sitting in traffic. It's frustrating, but I guess this is Lucknow's New Year vibe."Gig workers also felt the pinch. Food delivery rider Ankit Verma of Chowk said, "I couldn't deliver a single order on time. Customers were upset, and the traffic made it impossible to move. It's fun celebrating New Year, but it's chaos for people like us who rely on time."Senior officers said that police and traffic police personnel were deployed at multiple intersections, but admitted managing the unprecedented rush proved challenging. Normal traffic flow was restored only by late evening.
Follow the latest election results 2026, live updates, winner lists, constituency-wise results, party-wise trends and full coverage for Tamil Nadu election results, West Bengal election results, Kerala election results, Assam election results and Puducherry election results results on Times of India.