Motorists cramped for space on Outer Ring Road, thanks to metro construction

Work on the Silk Board-KR Puram (Reach 2A) Namma Metro project has constricted movement along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), cramming private vehicles into a single lane on either side of the median.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has divided the work on the 18.2-km line into two packages. The contracts for the same were awarded in May 2021 with a deadline of two years and three months, which means motorists must bear with the inconvenience till the end of 2023. They have no choice but to drive on the single lane available since the third lane is reserved for BMTC buses.

As of last week, contractors have commenced preliminary work near Silk Board, Marathahalli, Doddanekundi and Mahadevapura where barricades have come up along the ORR.

Even with all three lanes open, the ORR had prolonged traffic congestion during peak hours.

The pandemic has hit the efforts to promote public transport through the ambitious bus priority lane, which had yielded results in terms of increased ridership in BMTC buses. But motorists are irked that metro works occupy a full lane.

Residents dread the day when employees with IT companies along the ORR begin work from office, which is not too far away.

“The government has failed to make necessary preparations for the success of bus priority lanes by providing first- and last-mile connectivity to BMTC buses. Many interior roads are too narrow to accommodate buses that can help one reach the ORR. As a result, people are dependent on private vehicles, autorickshaws or taxis,” Vishnuprasad, a resident of Kasavanahalli, said. Even without companies reopening their offices, commuting on a single lane along the ORR would be tough, he added.

Autorickshaw driver Vediyappan said bus priority lanes on the ORR will make commuting impossible for private vehicles.

‘This was anticipated’

To a question, BBMP Chief Engineer (Road Infrastructure) B S Prahlad said traffic congestion during the metro construction work was anticipated.

“If it is an inconvenience, people must travel in BMTC buses. The whole idea of a bus priority lane is to reduce congestion. People must utilise it,” he explained.