After heavy congestion on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road, traffic police plans to take remedial measures

Following unusual traffic congestion on September 27 along Bengaluru’s tech corridor, Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Bengaluru Traffic Police and Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) have introduced measures to alleviate the situation. These measures involve imposing a ban on heavy vehicular traffic movement from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m., starting next week. On Saturday, Following a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, members of the ORRCA held discussions with Joint Commissioner of Police for Traffic M.N. Anucheth to devise strategies for reducing traffic congestion.

Following unusual traffic congestion on September 27 along Bengaluru’s tech corridor, Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Bengaluru Traffic Police and Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) have introduced measures to alleviate the situation.

These measures involve imposing a ban on heavy vehicular traffic movement from 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m., starting next week. On Saturday, Following a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, members of the ORRCA held discussions with Joint Commissioner of Police for Traffic M.N. Anucheth to devise strategies for reducing traffic congestion.

Speaking to The Hindu, Krishna Kumar Gowda, Consultant, ORRCA, said, “We were called by the Deputy Chief Minister, where we presented our framework and recommendations for the ORR. During the meeting, we emphasised the challenges ORR faces and proposed solutions to overcome these issues.”

“Mr. Shivakumar took the recommendation seriously, instructing the traffic police to promptly implement it. Additionally, he is expected to inspect the ORR on October 4,” Mr. Krishna Kumar added.

The traffic police and ORRCA have come up with the measures that are likely to be implemented on the stretch by next week. “Traffic police will discuss with major tech park developers on ORR to review the feasibility of enabling shared transport for each major tech park. This will reduce the fleet size as well as increase occupancy of vehicles used for employees commutation. Advisory will be issued to companies on ORR to stagger their work time so we don’t have heavy flow of traffic during the traditional peak hours of ORR,” Manas Das, president of the ORRCA, told The Hindu.

Mr. Manas emphasised the urgent need for attention, upgrades, and ongoing maintenance of 22 key arterial roads connected to the ORR. This initiative aims to alleviate pressure on the ORR, especially during the metro construction phase. “Immediate upgrades are also necessary for service roads, footpaths, and bus stops to enhance their quality. Zero tolerance for roadside illegal parking and road encroachment clearance needs to be enforced and expedite ORR metro work,” he added.

The Hindu earlier reported about the ORRCA framework and recommendations report.