Vehicles stand bumper to bumper in front of Metro cinema on Wednesday afternoon. (Anindya Shankar Ray)

A combo of three rallies and an accident threw afternoon traffic haywire in several parts of the city, including the central business district, on Wednesday.

“It was one of the worst days in recent times. The accident on CIT Road took its toll on several arteries, such as Convent Road and Chaulpatty Road, that got clogged. The impact was also felt at the Park Circus seven-point crossing,” said an officer at Lalbazar.

If vehicular movement took a hit in the east, the heart of the city was no better, thanks to the three rallies held almost simultaneously.

“Around 2,000 Trinamul Congress supporters had gathered at College Square around 1.30pm and marched to Metro channel via Nirmal Chatterjee Street and SN Banerjee Road,” said an officer. Traffic took a beating on all stretches the party supporters walked through.

While Trinamul leaders were speaking from the Metro channel dais around 3.30pm, members of the Pragatishil Karigari Teachers and Employees staged a hunger strike on one flank of Rani Rashmoni Avenue.

“It was a traffic disaster between 3pm and 4.30pm. With the Park Street flyover choked, all Shyambazar-bound vehicles had to be diverted from Mayo Road to Esplanade Row (East),” said a cop.

“But after a point even the Mayo Road-Esplanade Row route could not take any more load, prompting us to divert north-bound buses through Strand Road, India Exchange Place and New CIT Road.”

Adding to the chaos, ABTA members organised a march from Raja Subodh Mullick Square to College Square.

The spiral effect of the rally trio could be felt across the city with the traffic reduced to a crawl on AJC Bose Road flyover in the south, Entally and Sealdah in the east and BB Ganguly and GC Avenue in the centre.