Silver Lining? Bengaluru, Pune See No Traffic Jams After A Long Time Owing To COVID-19 Shutdown
Coronavirus has emptied the streets of Bengaluru and in a welcome development there were no traffic congestions. Reports state that the pandemic has led to a 30-50 per cent cut down of traffic in Bengaluru. Traffic has also reduced on the ever-packed Delhi roads resulting in improved air quality in the national capital.
Bengaluru traffic is infamous for being terrible. People getting stuck for hours in still lanes is a common occurrence there. The result of the traffic is overwhelming pollution.
Many people are finding a silver lining in the situation it seems. Owing to the shutting down of various places like clubs, pubs and restaurants and given how many companies have advised their employees to work from home, Bengaluru like many other cities in the world is seeing no traffic. Probably a first in the longest time ever.
One of the more positive outsomes of the #coronavirus outbreak... Traffic-free roads ?
¡ª Chirag K C (@KcC0) March 17, 2020
Quite a rarity in #Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/U7F6gZN63M
Coronavirus has achieved what nothing else could before: It emptied the streets of Bengaluru and in a welcome development there were no traffic congestions.
Reports state that the pandemic has led to a 30-50 per cent cut down of traffic in Bengaluru. Areas like JC Road, Mysore Road, KG road, Lalbagh Road, KH Road, Trinity Circle, MG Road, Cunningham Road and Race Course Road now see a smooth traffic.
Monday Evening Peak Traffic @ Namma Bengaluru, KR Puram Junction.#COVID19_Effect pic.twitter.com/dqj37B1RMP
¡ª PARTHIBAN (@PARTHI2912) March 16, 2020
Bengaluru streets and roads are not the only ones that are unrecognisable right now. Someone shared the images from Pune as well, where the number of reported coronavirus cases are 18. There too, like in many other cities in India, people have been advised to work from home and not venture out.
Pune #coronavirusindia Effect. pic.twitter.com/8gUL4aOpj7
¡ª Joshi JI (@JoshiJi_) March 18, 2020
The partial shutdown of daily activity that has resulted from coronavirus is finally seeing nature breathe.
As cinemas, schools, restaurants and other public places have been shut down till March 31 because of coronavirus, traffic has also reduced on the ever-packed Delhi roads resulting in improved air quality in the national capital.
Delhi-NCR saw some 'moderate' air quality with the AQI at 129. It is expected to improve, according to reports, and the improvement can be partially credited to reduced traffic on the roads.
Twitter
And not only India, whichever place around the world has faced or is facing a lockdown has inadvertently seen a dip in emission of CO2 levels and that of air pollution.
Last month, China reported an increase in ¡®good air quality days¡¯ and currently Italy is seeing a reduction in air pollution owing to coronavirus lockdown.
Experts believe that coronavirus could lead to a world wide fall in CO2 emissions and this could be the time to take necessary climate actions. Thousands of flights that have been cancelled are also adding to and overall reduction of air pollution.
Fb image credit: Meghna Sastry
