Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Dec 28: A sharp surge in tourist arrivals over the past week has led to severe traffic congestion across Udupi city and Malpe coastal belt, throwing daily life out of gear for local residents. With weekend and year-end holidays coinciding, roads connecting Adi Udupi, Malpe Beach, Kalsanka and surrounding areas remained clogged from morning till late night on Saturday.
Tourists from across the state have been flocking to Udupi, with Malpe Beach witnessing the highest footfall. Police estimate that nearly 3,000 vehicles entered the Malpe stretch in a single day since Friday. From as early as 5 am, tourist vehicles began arriving, and by 8 am, parking areas were completely full. Many visitors even arrived the previous night and stayed put, worsening the pressure on limited infrastructure.
The traffic situation remained grim from 9 am to 9 pm, with long queues of vehicles stretching up to 2–3 km on Malpe main road. Rash driving and haphazard movement by some vehicles further aggravated congestion, leaving office-goers, residents and pedestrians struggling to commute. Crossing roads became nearly impossible at times, with senior citizens and children facing serious difficulties. In some cases, people were forced to wait for nearly half an hour just to cross the road, raising safety concerns and increasing the risk of accidents.
To ease congestion, Malpe police introduced temporary traffic regulations on Saturday. Vehicles from the national highway heading towards Malpe were diverted via Adi Udupi–Malpe road. Those heading to the beach were directed to turn right at the three-road junction towards Vadabhandeshwara, while Seawalk-bound vehicles were allowed through the harbour route. Vehicles exiting the beach towards Kundapura were diverted via Thottam–Hoode–Nejaru, while heavy vehicles towards Mangaluru were routed through Citizen Circle, Kodavoor, Lakshminagar and Kalyanapura. Light vehicles were allowed via Kodavoor, Moodubettu and Adi Udupi. These restrictions were enforced between 3 pm and 8 pm, said Malpe police station inspector Anil Kumar D.
Additional parking facilities were arranged near Paradise, Thottam Putardo Guest House, the road between Seawalk and the beach, Gandhi Shatabdi Ground and vacant land on the right side of Vadabhandeshwara to temporarily reduce congestion.
Meanwhile, Udupi city also witnessed heavy traffic snarls, particularly in Kalsanka and adjoining areas. Ongoing roadwork at Perampalli forced vehicles from Kundapura towards Manipal to divert via Kalsanka, while newly installed signal lights resulted in vehicles waiting in queues for up to one minute, and sometimes longer during peak hours.
The situation worsened near Kadialy and Ocean Pearl Hotel, where vehicles heading from Manipal towards Udupi lined up beyond turning points, forcing motorists to travel up to Kunjibettu for U-turns. Similar congestion was reported near the city bus stand, where vehicles struggled for long durations to turn, creating bottlenecks that extended back to Kalsanka.
Unregulated parking by devotees visiting Sri Krishna Mutt added to the chaos. Vehicles parked haphazardly in designated parking areas and along roadsides, especially near Vidyodaya School, blocked traffic completely at times. Drivers were often forced to wait until other vehicle owners returned, leading to delays lasting several hours.
The traffic mess also disrupted public transport. Due to congestion and signal delays, several private buses from Mangaluru terminated their trips at Udupi instead of proceeding to Manipal. Bus drivers cited difficulty in maintaining schedules, leading to frequent arguments between passengers and bus staff. Long queues from Kalsanka to Shiribeedu further slowed down traffic towards Kundapura, forcing vehicles to crawl at snail’s pace.
With tourist inflow expected to continue, residents have urged authorities to implement long-term traffic management measures to prevent repeated chaos during peak seasons.