Traffic woes: Return-to-office triggers surge in single-occupancy vehicles in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: With a majority of the companies along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) resuming full-time office work, there has been a noticeable surge in single-occupancy vehicles on that stretch.

A visit by DH to the stretch on Monday revealed worsening traffic congestion, especially between KR Puram and Silk Board, with commuters choosing private vehicles over public transport.

Company efforts to promote public transport use have failed historically, industry insiders said. With ample parking available inside tech parks, a majority of employees returning to office have opted to commute by private vehicles, they added.

"First- and last-mile connectivity have remained a long-standing problem. To encourage more people to adopt BMTC buses, the idea of allowing the buses into the campus has also been floated. But with the roads inside the campus being smaller, it is not feasible to let the regular BMTC buses inside the campus,” Manas Das, president of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), said, adding that campaigns promoting public transport failed for the same reasons.

A drive by a DH staff from MG Road to Iblur on Monday morning took 90 minutes, instead of the expected hour.

After the long festival weekend, corporate employees returned to offices. While there was congestion along the route, there was no major spike in traffic, confirmed Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

Poor public transport has pushed many to buy private vehicles over the years.

The upcoming Namma Metro Blue Line, connecting Silk Board and the Kempegowda International Airport, is unlikely to ease traffic, ORR employees said.

"The metro trains are overcrowded. The infrastructure is not able to keep up with the city's growing crowd. Also, instead of interchanging two metro stations and travelling an hour to get to work, we would much rather use our own vehicles to avoid the chaos," said Ganesh Shanbhag, a software engineer.

Carpooling is also gaining popularity.

Have faith in Namma Metro: City top cop

Despite public hesitation, the Namma Metro Blue Line will "most definitely reduce the congestion along the ORR", Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said.

Seemant Kumar Singh

The Yellow Line's success proves what is ahead, he said. "The Yellow Line has been received very well, and it has helped reduce congestion in the area by 20% to 30%. Once the Blue Line opens up, it will also have a similar impact, if not better," he added.

A tech park near Bellandur Outer Ring Road. DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V

He urged tech parks to operate feeder buses for the upcoming metro line, which can also connect bus stops.