Bengaluru's Inner Ring Road makes turnaround after citizen-group intervention
But when citizen-centric organisations collaborate with govt agencies, changes happen.
In the past two years, IRR has seen a drastic drop in road accidents and fatalities. Bus frequency has improved to nearly five minutes. Some 4,000 tonnes of construction debris has been removed. And, there is illumination of pedestrian stretches.
Commemorating the turnaround, the Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) Saturday unveiled the 'IRR Street: Standstill to Active' report detailing the significant improvements thanks to collaboration with govt agencies such as BBMP, BMTC, Bengaluru Traffic Police, and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML).
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A major development was the increase in bus services along the corridor. From Nov 2023 to July 2025, the BMTC fleet on the route expanded from 17 to 26 buses, and the number of daily trips rose from 169 to 227. In terms of road safety, the implementation of rumble strips, raised crossings, and zebra crossings at identified blackspots led to a dramatic reduction in accidents. Between Nov 2024 and Jan 2025, there were zero fatalities and only one non-fatal crash, a stark contrast to the five fatal crashes recorded in the previous year, the report pointed out.
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Additionally, over 4,300 tonnes of debris, 130 construction barricades, and 129 tonnes of garbage were cleared from medians and footpaths. Flooding, a perennial issue, has also been tackled with the construction of shoulder drains with kerb inlets at intervals of 5-7 metres, reduced from the previous 30-metre intervals. However, footpaths and walkability remain major issues that have not been significantly rectified in the area.
BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao, who unveiled the report, said, "If you increase the footpaths, you will definitely increase the carrying capacity and it will reduce a lot of other issues and promote safety. This is something we are committed to."
Mobility still remains a problem
IRR area, being a hub of multinational companies, continues to struggle with limited public transport. On a typical weekday, the path records severe congestion levels, with the queue length exceeding 750 metres, with Wednesdays seemingly having the highest traffic congestion.
As per the latest available data from BTP, the congestion length recorded in the city was on June 11, 2025 (Wednesday) at 94.1 km, highlighting a huge mobility crisis. The number for next Wednesday, June 16, was 81.9km. While there is no specific congestion-related data available for IRR, the issues in IRR also point towards the huge number of private vehicles.
The only accessible mass public transport for the residents is BMTC buses.
An audit conducted by BPAC from 2023 to 2025 at the bus stops of the corridor shows significant overcrowding from 8am to 10am on working days. BMTC buses on routes MF-5/1 & MF-5/8, 201G/3, and 201G/4 were found overcrowded throughout the week across different hours.
Despite BMTC increasing its services, the crisis continues. While there is a bus every five minutes, experts argue that the lack of live information regarding schedules creates overcrowding as commuters are unaware of the next bus.
"When we observed across bus stops, we found out that several buses get full to the extent that it becomes difficult to breathe. But the next 2-3 buses coming after that go empty as working people don't have a clue of the next bus," said Priyanka Krishnan, research associate, BPAC.
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