Staggered shifts, shared rides: Will it save Bengaluru's ORR from drowning in traffic?

Bengaluru: As Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) buckles under tech-driven traffic, stakeholders are reviewing ongoing traffic-easing strategies — carpooling, staggered office timings, and use of public transport, despite the absence of metro access.

Krishna Kumar Gowda, Vice-President of the Greater Bengaluru IT and Companies Association, said, "We are forcing companies to opt for staggered access, carpooling, public transport, promoting traffic warden work among IT employees, sharing vehicle data, and deploying marshals and patrol bikes in tech parks to reduce congestion.”

Traffic marshals, trained by the Traffic Department and employed by tech parks, regulate vehicle flow at entry and exit points. However, many feel their presence makes little difference.

Poor road conditions, worsened by rain, remain a major concern.

Nagabhushan KM, an IT employee at Ecospace, said, "As all the companies are cancelling the work-from-home option, there is a tremendous surge in the traffic. The terrible road conditions make travel frustrating, and rain makes it nearly impossible.”

Movement of heavy vehicles during restricted hours adds to the chaos.

Siva Sakthi Palanivelu, Assistant Vice-President at HSBC in Ecospace, said, "Riding a two-wheeler on the ORR stretch is scary because of the movement of heavy vehicles in the morning, though it is banned by the government. The school buses and the Ecoworld U-turn lead to thicker congestion.”

Gopal M Byakod, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (South), said, "The BMTC has expressed its willingness to provide AC buses from several city junctions to Bellandur. The BBMP has also examined the roads for repairs."

A senior traffic official said, "Multiple road entries and wrong-side driving on the ORR stretch are causing congestion. Stricter enforcement is needed. Informed decisions must be based on real-time traffic data.”

MoveInSync, a mobility firm, has created a Traffic Quality Index using 15 years of data and live telemetry.

CEO Deepesh Agarwal said, “MoveInSync’s technology has helped alleviate ORR traffic by replacing thousands of private car trips with shared cabs.”

By 2028, the ORR, North Bengaluru and Whitefield will house 57 million square feet of office space, data from the Outer Ring Road Companies Association shows.