Too Many Vehicles, Waterlogging Behind Bengaluru's ORR Traffic Mess? Know What Cops Have To Say

The Outer Ring Road of Bengaluru, which is considered the tech corridor, witnessed a major snarl on Wednesday evening, which made the traffic so low that people complained of covering 1 km in 2 hours.

Worse, some X users said that their schoolkids reached home at 8pm. The matter went so out of bound that cops issued an advisory to IT companies to delay the exit of employees.

“In the morning, I spent around two to three hours on the ORR to commute to my office due to heavy traffic, cascading effects of the bandh yesterday, damaged roads and the rains,” Ritoban Sen, who works in Bengaluru, told News18.com.

A bandh was organised in Bengaluru over the Cauvery water dispute on Tuesday. The protest in Bengaluru on Tuesday was among the two bandhs scheduled this week, the second one being a statewide bandh on Friday, September 29.

How Citizens Reacted

Commuters and residents took to social media and shared visuals of the packed roads, calling it was an “unforgettable experience for the citizens”.

“It’s midnight now & #Bengaluru Massive traffic jam on the ORR stretch continues… Unforgettable experience for the citizens,” a user on X wrote.

Cops on Ground Identify Problems

According to a moneycontrol.com report, the Joint Commissioner of Police, traffic, MN Anucheth, who was on ground with his team to clear the congestion also mentioned five major reasons behind the snarl that left commuters stuck for 4 hours.

Traffic police said that congestion alerts between between Silk Board and Tin Factory on Outer Ring Road are 197. However, on on September 27, it was a whooping 1,069.

What Are The Five Reasons?

Surge in Traffic Volume: On September 27, traffic reached double its usual volume, with a count of 3.59 lakh vehicles by 7:30 pm. This is in stark contrast with the typical Wednesday count of 1.5-2 lakh vehicles. The spike was a direct consequence of the Bengaluru bandh on September 26, as a significant number of employees commuted to and from their offices simultaneously on September 27.

Extended Weekend: With an upcoming extended weekend, many residents are leaving the city. Following the holiday for Eid e Milad on September 28, a Karnataka bandh called by pro-Kannada organizations is set for September 29, followed by Saturday and Sunday. October 2, Monday, marks Gandhi Jayanti.

Rain-Induced Waterlogging Woes: Sustained rainfall led to waterlogging on numerous interior roads, and unfortunately, the issue was left unaddressed, exacerbating traffic congestion.

Pothole Predicament: The heavy rains resulted in the formation of numerous potholes, disrupting the flow of traffic.

Breakdown Blues: Between 3:30 pm and 5 pm, six vehicle breakdowns occurred on ORR, which was already constrained due to ongoing Metro construction. These breakdowns further compounded the traffic congestion.