BMTC steps in to solve ORR agony

Time of India

4 days ago

Pic: Chethan Shivakumar
For years, Bengaluru has been trying to find a solution to the severe traffic congestion on Outer Ring Road (ORR), along which some 10 lakh employees work across 26 tech parks. A metro line is being constructed on the road, which could at least partially be ready by late next year.
But Manas Das, president of Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), is sceptical about whether this will have the desired impact on the road, given the way tech parks and employee numbers are growing, and the trend of companies increasingly mandating work from office.
A new bus initiative has raised hopes. In 2023, ORRCA started a programme called personal-to-public (P2P), encouraging people to give up their private vehicles and get on to public transport – at least twice a week.
That has had some impact. This could now get bolstered with two initiative BMTC has just launched.
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BMTC's Vajra Express Service and
chartered buses
to ease traffic congestion
Most techies would find BMTC's Vajra Express service extremely affordable. A ride from Hebbal to Marathahalli costs Rs 50, and up to Silk Board is Rs 70. These air-conditioned electric buses with limited stops, Das says, are plying empty most of the time. So ORRCA is creating a campaign around it to build awareness.
BMTC has also offered chartered bus options to the tech parks and companies in the parks.
'These buses will be exclusively for people working in these tech parks. At an agreed rate, the tech parks and companies can subscribe to the services of BMTC instead of running their own private vehicles. Replacing 1,000 cabs with 50 buses would significantly reduce traffic congestion on the road,' Das says.
With the supply-side logistics addressed, the focus has shifted to generating demand. ORRCA has initiated discussions with tech parks to use the chartered bus option.
Ensuring sufficient ridership is essential, because it's also a matter of BMTC's financial viability.
Multiple tech parks, Das says, can share a single vehicle to maximise utilisation.
Solving for last mile
One thing that discourages techies from opting for regular buses, including the Vajra Express, is the considerable walking distance from entrance gates to office buildings in these sprawling campuses. Public transport becomes more acceptable when people need to walk no more than 500 metres to a kilometre, to catch a bus.
'BMTC has shown some willingness to take the buses inside the campuses,' Das says.
Vishnu Prasad, founder & member of Save Bellandur Forum, is angry that tech parks aren't investing enough in public infrastructure that could benefit everyone. 'Why can't they run loop shuttles? Why can't Ecospace, Intel, Ecoworld and Wipro interconnect their buildings with roads and accessible walkways? Why can't they promote access to their campus from bus stops through dedicated (overhead) pathways?,' he asks.
Kamesh Rastogi, an IT professional who works with Oracle on ORR, agrees. He believes MNCs must contribute to ORR by investing in service roads and private buses connecting major tech parks to city hubs.
Poor civic body coordination
A huge complaint, like in much of the city, is also about civic bodies like BMRCL, BBMP, BMTC, KPTCL and Bescom not working in a coordinated manner. The worst of this is when BBMP restores a road, after which one of the others promptly digs it up again.
There's an ORR coordination group that includes ORRCA and all the civic bodies that has had some impact. But not as much as tech parks and companies would like.
Das notes that ORR unfortunately has no parallel road to share the traffic burden. What it does have are arterial roads that can serve that purpose to some extent. But that project to widen and improve those roads has been on-going for years. Das says some 14-15 of them have got some attention, and a few more are making progress.
Police promise on DB Halli
Probably the biggest congestion point on ORR is the DB Halli junction, close to the entry points to the Ecoworld and Ecospace parks. Karthik Reddy, joint commissioner of police (traffic), says he will call a meeting with ORRCA and other key stakeholders to find immediate and long-term solutions to address the issue.
VOICE BOX
The primary bottleneck on ORR are the entry points to Ecoworld and Ecospace. These choke points are also causing a spillover effect, leading to congestion on surrounding roads.
We will work towards finding both immediate and long-term solutions to address this issue.
Karthik Reddy
I will soon call a meeting with ORRCA and other key stakeholders to discuss actionable steps for decongesting these critical stretches.
Karthik Reddy, JOINT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (TRAFFIC), BENGALURU
Metro's Blue Line that connects Silk Board to K R Puram will be operational by mid-2026.
Maheshwar Rao
It will help improve connectivity and reduce travel time.
Maheshwar Rao M, CHIEF COMMISSIONER, BBMP, AND FORMER MD, BMRCL
The BBMP is currently undertaking widening work on eight of the 22 arterial roads identified by ORRCA to take some of the load off ORR.
We hope they will also make it really motorable.
Manas Das
The govt department's idea of a motorable road is far different from ours. For them, a mud laid road could be motorable.
Manas Das, PRESIDENT, OUTER RING ROAD COMPANIES ASSOCIATION (ORRCA)
Operating chartered bus services is a great initiative.
Mukund Kumar
Those working along ORR would welcome this transportation option.
Mukund Kumar, MEMBER, SAVE SARJAPURA
Companies' mandatory office attendance policies are compelling employees to commute daily. The infrastructure lacks the capacity to handle this massive number of commuters.
ORR is also severely damaged with numerous potholes. It is like driving through hell. With the ongoing never-ending metro construction and rain, everything just spirals out of control. Pollution and dust add to our woes.
Manjjari Behal
Over a decade, the traffic situation in and around Ecospace has gone from bad to worse. I remember how the traffic jam used to extend to Pritex Park inside Ecospace post 6pm 12 years ago. We haven't learnt our lessons and now the cutoff time to escape traffic is 4pm.
Manjjari Behal, WORKS WITH AN MNC IN ECOSPACE
We experience significant delays at the congested areas near Ecoworld and Ecospace.
Gaurav Pandey
The success of BMTC charter operations depends heavily on resolving the final stretch connectivity issues for passengers.
Gaurav Pandey, WORKS WITH AMADEUS LABS IN PRESTIGE TECH PARK
I have been working on ORR since 2007 and have seen the degradation in infrastructure over the years. Road quality has worsened, poor drainage systems lead to water accumulation, traffic is really congested.
Kamesh Rastogi
The commute of about 8 km from HSR Layout to the Oracle Technology Hub requires 45-50 mins in the afternoon. Major intersections such as Ecoworld, Ecospace and the multiplex regularly face traffic bottlenecks, frequently reaching up to Ibbaluru.
Kamesh Rastogi, IT PROFESSIONAL, ORACLE
Collective solutions would be possible only if all stakeholders – citizens, administration, traffic police and companies – come together. Organisations should implement flexible working hours for their staff.
People should consider sharing rides and choosing non-peak travel times. The authorities need to ensure swift completion of ongoing infrastructure projects.
Shaila Prabhu
BBMP's construction work is totally shoddy. Projects drag on indefinitely without timelines. Construction debris remains scattered on roads. Corruption is the major issue. A beautiful city is in shambles.
Shaila Prabhu, RETIRED BANKER, MAKES REGULAR TRIPS TO ORR TO VISIT RELATIVES
The traffic congestion on ORR stems from employees accessing the area exclusively through the Ecoworld entrance. A coordinated effort is essential to create multiple access points through Ecospace, Intel and Wipro, which would help distribute the traffic flow.
Vishnu Prasad
Swift completion of the Blue Line metro project would significantly ease the congestion.
Vishnu Prasad, FOUNDER AND MEMBER, SAVE BELLANDUR FORUM