<p>Bengaluru: A study by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has found that vehicle movement along the 17-km stretch of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Sarjapur Road exceeds road capacity by two to three times, causing heavy congestion at Iblur Junction and frequent traffic snarls on the ORR.</p>.<p>The study recorded vehicular movement during peak hours and found a “critically high” traffic load on parts of ORR and Sarjapur Road, especially where they meet at Iblur Junction.</p>.<p>On Sarjapur Road, the volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio is 3.57, while on the ORR it is 2.22. The V/C ratio indicates how full a road is compared to what it can handle. A value near 1.0 means the road is at its limit; anything above shows congestion. As this increases, queues and delays worsen.</p>.<p>Sarjapur Road, designed for 2,400 Passenger Car Units (PCUs), now carries between 6,450 and 8,586 PCUs moving towards Iblur during peak hours. The stretch from Iblur Junction to Bellandur Main Road Junction, meant for 4,800 PCUs, handles about 10,657 PCUs.</p>.<p><strong>Bus lanes </strong></p>.<p>RK Misra, independent director at Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B.SMILE), said bus priority lanes form part of the Rs 450-crore ORR facelift project.</p>.<p>"We are not white-topping the ORR, but using good-quality asphalt. It will also have bus lanes, cycling tracks, and pedestrian infrastructure. The tender is likely to be floated in early November, and work should begin in January 2026," he said.</p>.<p>However, restoring bus priority lanes “looks difficult” until Namma Metro work is completed, said Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). "During the Covid pandemic, the concept worked because of low pedestrian movement and reduced traffic. That is not the case anymore,” he said.</p>.<p>Srinivas Alavilli, urban mobility expert and WRI fellow, said the BTP study proves that “even if the road width is magically increased, vehicles will continue to remain stuck".</p>.<p>He believes public transport is the only sustainable solution and that reviving bus priority lanes could encourage more commuters to use it. "ORR has the highest number of BMTC buses in the city. You will find one every two minutes. About 3,360 buses, including 1,533 AC buses, ply on ORR daily,” he posted on X.</p>.<p>The BMTC managing director declined to comment.</p>.<p><strong>What is V/C ratio?</strong></p>.<p>On Sarjapur Road, the volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio is 3.57, while on the ORR it is 2.22. </p>.<p>The volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio indicates how full a road is compared to what it can handle. A value near 1.0 means the road is at its limit; anything above shows congestion. As this increases, queues and delays worsen. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: A study by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has found that vehicle movement along the 17-km stretch of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Sarjapur Road exceeds road capacity by two to three times, causing heavy congestion at Iblur Junction and frequent traffic snarls on the ORR.</p>.<p>The study recorded vehicular movement during peak hours and found a “critically high” traffic load on parts of ORR and Sarjapur Road, especially where they meet at Iblur Junction.</p>.<p>On Sarjapur Road, the volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio is 3.57, while on the ORR it is 2.22. The V/C ratio indicates how full a road is compared to what it can handle. A value near 1.0 means the road is at its limit; anything above shows congestion. As this increases, queues and delays worsen.</p>.<p>Sarjapur Road, designed for 2,400 Passenger Car Units (PCUs), now carries between 6,450 and 8,586 PCUs moving towards Iblur during peak hours. The stretch from Iblur Junction to Bellandur Main Road Junction, meant for 4,800 PCUs, handles about 10,657 PCUs.</p>.<p><strong>Bus lanes </strong></p>.<p>RK Misra, independent director at Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B.SMILE), said bus priority lanes form part of the Rs 450-crore ORR facelift project.</p>.<p>"We are not white-topping the ORR, but using good-quality asphalt. It will also have bus lanes, cycling tracks, and pedestrian infrastructure. The tender is likely to be floated in early November, and work should begin in January 2026," he said.</p>.<p>However, restoring bus priority lanes “looks difficult” until Namma Metro work is completed, said Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). "During the Covid pandemic, the concept worked because of low pedestrian movement and reduced traffic. That is not the case anymore,” he said.</p>.<p>Srinivas Alavilli, urban mobility expert and WRI fellow, said the BTP study proves that “even if the road width is magically increased, vehicles will continue to remain stuck".</p>.<p>He believes public transport is the only sustainable solution and that reviving bus priority lanes could encourage more commuters to use it. "ORR has the highest number of BMTC buses in the city. You will find one every two minutes. About 3,360 buses, including 1,533 AC buses, ply on ORR daily,” he posted on X.</p>.<p>The BMTC managing director declined to comment.</p>.<p><strong>What is V/C ratio?</strong></p>.<p>On Sarjapur Road, the volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio is 3.57, while on the ORR it is 2.22. </p>.<p>The volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio indicates how full a road is compared to what it can handle. A value near 1.0 means the road is at its limit; anything above shows congestion. As this increases, queues and delays worsen. </p>