The Outer Ring Road (ORR) is notorious for chock-a-block traffic.
Credit: File Photo
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru city police have identified 18 chokepoints along the 17-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) and drawn up measures to reduce traffic congestion by 20%.
With several companies resuming full-time office work in September and more set to follow in October, the existing snarls on the ORR are expected to worsen.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told DH that a major cause of traffic pile-ups was vehicles simultaneously entering and exiting the main road and service roads.
"A major problem we noticed along the ORR was that the traffic would choke, especially at points where vehicles would try to enter or exit the main road into the service road. This problem remains consistent throughout the stretch. We have identified 18 such major chokepoints and have received the approval to fix them,” he said.
Elaborating, Singh said engineers would stagger the entry and exit points at these identified locations to ease movement, particularly during peak hours. Currently, commuters spend about 15 minutes waiting to get onto the main road in the peak evening hour.
He added that the newly established Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) was enabling real-time coordination among agencies.
“With the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) being more widely spread, it could get confusing to figure out who was in charge of what. But now, there are better demarcations, and it is helping our officers. We now also have a WhatsApp group with officials from agencies like the GBA and BMRCL, and also the chief secretary, where we discuss and approve day-to-day requirements in real time. We do not have to wait for formal approvals from each agency,” he said.
The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has been directed to clear debris from the Blue Line construction as and when sections are completed. Singh said barricades have already been pulled back in stretches where metro pillars are in place, creating space to streamline traffic.
He also urged companies along the ORR to adopt staggered work timings, encourage public transport and promote carpooling. “Tech parks can also deploy feeder buses from within the campus towards bus stops. This will also be helpful when the metro is ready. My team has been visiting these tech parks to create awareness about the same,” Singh said.