[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by airbus

This is going to be a common sight on the Outer Ring Road for few years. Bus lane on left, metro construction on right, leaving barely one (middle) lane for normal traffic. As seen in front of Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli.

This looks terrible. If pre-pandemic traffic situation is anything to go by, this would lead to absolute mayhem once people start returning to office. And going by the speed at which metro construction is happening in other parts of Bangalore this will be the same for many years to come , maybe a decade

[anandhsub]

Yesterday I was exiting from the Rainbow hospital service road when the traffic warden was diverting the vehicles into the bus lane since here too the metro construction occupies slightly more than one lane.

I wish they would remove the bollards though where ever the metro occupies a full lane. I was stuck behind a tvs 50 guy carrying 3 lpg cylinders until the next exit while the ORR was empty.

Didn't really make a big difference given the traffic was fairly light but amusing to be stuck when 2 lanes are empty.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

If pre-pandemic traffic situation is anything to go by, this would lead to absolute mayhem once people start returning to office.

Absolutely. What I don't understand is how come all those IT companies didn't anticipate this situation?

On this very thread, we've seen people raising concerns about this impending situation for years:

Originally Posted by fordday

The condition is only going to get worse. Starting metro constructions will make it the ultimate hell.

(from 2018)

So what did the companies think, BMRCL would somehow miraculously find a new way to put up the pillars without disrupting the already awful traffic?! Covid was the best opportunity to bail out of this stretch and spare their employees the hell that the commute is going to be for at least 2 years (if BMRCL estimates are to be believed, and when have they ever stuck to a deadline?!), most probably 5 years.

Going by how quickly the government withdrew their advice on extending wfh till Dec 2022, I'm going to call it for what it obviously is- the builders of these 'IT Parks' exercise an enormous amount of clout and they will not want to lose out on rents anymore! To hell with employee health during the commute.

Can't expect the government to go against them since they finance so many of the elected representatives in Bangalore. But wonder why IT company management also care so little about their employees that they will continue to condemn them to the horrors of this stretch for the foreseeable future. When most of the work can be done from home, as has been demonstrated over the past year and a half. Anyway, they too will be stuck in the same mess on the way to work, they will have ample time to contemplate the narrow-mindedness of their decision while stuck in traffic!

[the_joker]

I had to go to my workplace day before yesterday, i.e. Saturday. I went in the afternoon hoping to reach in 45 min to 1 hr. It was so bad that I took 1 hr 45 min to reach from Hebbal to Bellandur, that too on a weekend afternoon. I used to take that much time in the evening on the way back from office pre-pandemic. I can't imagine how this is going to play out when we are all back to office after WFH is over. It may end up taking 3 hrs for a one way commute. Maybe I should rent a room to stay during the week, and come home only on weekends. I can't sustain it for any period of time.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by the_joker

I had to go to my workplace day before yesterday, i.e. Saturday. I went in the afternoon hoping to reach in 45 min to 1 hr. It was so bad that I took 1 hr 45 min to reach from Hebbal to Bellandur, that too on a weekend afternoon. I used to take that much time in the evening on the way back from office pre-pandemic. I can't imagine how this is going to play out when we are all back to office after WFH is over. It may end up taking 3 hrs for a one way commute. Maybe I should rent a room to stay during the week, and come home only on weekends. I can't sustain it for any period of time.

Saturday afternoons are the worst timings for Bangalore traffic. This was true before the pandemic and true even now. I always used to prefer the weekday morning and evening peak hour traffic than the Sat traffic around noon.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by airbus

This is going to be a common sight on the Outer Ring Road for few years. Bus lane on left, metro construction on right, leaving barely one (middle) lane for normal traffic. As seen in front of Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli.

Had the misfortune of traversing this road on a Sunday afternoon (when traffic is probably at its least). Horrible logistics, and the drive from JP Nagar to Bellandur was painful. I am so glad that neither my office nor my house is anywhere close to this mayhem. Really feel bad for the people who are living this side of town and who need to travel this route frequently. While coming back in the late evening, the situation was a trifle better due to the heavy rain, because of which the hordes of pesky two wheelers were off the road, at least for some time - making the traffic congestion a little more bearable.

[anandhsub]

Actually these days the traffic on weekdays, especially ORR, is much lower than that on weekends. I guess those who do WFH are able to step out only on weekends.

I have been going to my office in Kadubeesanahalli from Mahadevpura for the last month or so and the drive has been fairly stress free despite only one lane being available at 2 points.

However had a nightmare drive this weekend both towards Banaswadi as well as towards Whitefield.

[mtnrajdeep]

Originally Posted by the_joker

It was so bad that I took 1 hr 45 min to reach from Hebbal to Bellandur, that too on a weekend afternoon. I used to take that much time in the evening on the way back from office pre-pandemic.

We are in the unfortunate situation that weekend traffic is many times weekday traffic now a days due to WFH. Pre-pandemic, I used to take 50 minutes to reach my office in Ecoworld from Whitefield, even after starting at 7:20 AM on weekdays - now it is about 30 minutes even at 11:00 AM in the morning.

[airbus]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

Actually these days the traffic on weekdays, especially ORR, is much lower than that on weekends.

Originally Posted by mtnrajdeep

We are in the unfortunate situation that weekend traffic is many times weekday traffic now a days due to WFH.

True. I have just returned from my office in Embassy Tech Village. It took 20 - 25 minutes one-way commute time and my residence is near HAL old airport. When I went out last Saturday, queues at traffic signals were much more than a weekday. With adults working from home and kids doing online classes from home, not many need to go out on weekdays

[LonelyPlanet]

Are the cameras in bus lane operational on ORR between KRPuram and Sarjapur ?
I see the traffic wardens directing traffic in bus lane esp near Rainbow hospital

[anandhsub]

"Official" confirmation that the bus lane no longer exists, at least where the metro construction is going on.

I was a bit worried the traffic wardens were using common sense and might get into trouble with higher authorities but will keep a copy of this tweet in my car now.

And I hope they stop the cctv installation given there is no need for it any longer.

[NPV]

The metro work on the Outer ring road line will be much more complex and involve demolition of foot over bridges and even the Bellandur flyover. This is going to bring more misery to the traffic movement as well as waste the tax payers money (but who cares?).
Obviously, our authorities wholeheartedly embrace any infrastructure work involving demolition and rebuilding of completed structures because that's exactly where all the moolah is and precisely what the contractors-babus-netas nexus works overtime for! After all, it's so easy to justify these "development" works - for the general good of public transportation improvements!

Source:Indian Express Bangalore, 15 Sep 2021

Now, Bellandur flyover may go down for Metro work

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by NPV

Obviously, our authorities wholeheartedly embrace any infrastructure work involving demolition and rebuilding of completed structures because that's exactly where all the moolah is and precisely what the contractors-babus-netas nexus works overtime for! After all, it's so easy to justify these "development" works - for the general good of public transportation improvements!

In their parlance, it is called "ಹಳೆ ಕಲ್ಲು ಹೊಸ ಬಿಲ್ಲು" (old stone new bill)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izqhtBPd4VQ

[himarg]

Originally Posted by NPV

.... involve demolition of foot over bridges and even the Bellandur flyover....

If my memory serves me right, aren't many (rather most, barring the one at Ecospace) of these foot over bridges very recent additions? Recent as in... last 6 months recent?

Wondering whether the agency that built them didn't get the memo on ORR metro construction.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by himarg

Wondering whether the agency that built them didn't get the memo on ORR metro construction.

On the foot overbridges, I think I saw a newish one near Iblur recently, there must be others as well, that I didn't notice.

Over several decades now our wonderful civic authorities have mastered the art and science of inter department/agency/authority communication and coordination (to benefit their own interests).

They will still be able to prove that there wasn't any "official" communication in this regard and the agency wasn't involved in any discussions or decision making (masters at passing the buck).

Traffic movement on the Outer ring road metro construction stretches are going to be nasty pretty soon.