Bengaluru: A major traffic jam stretching for several kilometres paralysed movement along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon (October 14) after a BMTC bus broke down near the Ecospace Junction, one of the city’s busiest tech corridors.
The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) issued an advisory at 4:43 pm IST, warning commuters of slow-moving traffic on the Marathahalli–Kadubeesanahalli–Devarabisanahalli–Bellandur stretch.
“Traffic advisory: Due to vehicle breakdown near the Eco Space junction towards Marathahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Devarabisanahalli, Bellandur is having slow-moving traffic,” the BTP posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In Kannada, the advisory read, “ಸಂಚಾರ ಸಲಹೆ: ಇಕೋ ಸ್ಪೇಸ್ ಜಂಕ್ಷನ್ ಬಳಿ ವಾಹನ ಕೆಟ್ಟು ನಿಂತಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಮಾರತಹಳ್ಳಿ, ಕಾಡುಬೀಸನಹಳ್ಳಿ, ದೇವರಬೀಸನಹಳ್ಳಿ, ಬೆಳ್ಳಂದೂರು ಕಡೆಗೆ ನಿಧಾನಗತಿಯ ಸಂಚಾರವಿರುತ್ತದೆ.”
Commuters face hours-long delays
The breakdown caused severe congestion on the IT corridor, with office-goers and residents reporting travel delays of up to two hours for distances under 12 kilometres.
“Pathetic traffic… it took 2 hours 10 minutes from Brookfield to Sarjapur Road, 12 km,” one commuter wrote on social media platform X. Another said, “10 km took 1 hour 40 minutes on ORR. Unliveable city. Needs serious intervention.”
Several users shared videos and photos showing bumper-to-bumper traffic, with thousands of vehicles inching forward during peak evening hours.
Another resident commented:
“One bus stopped on a road made whole Bengaluru cry for hours.”
Local influencers and tech professionals also took to social media to highlight the growing frustration among Bengaluru’s commuters. Some called on state leaders such as Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take urgent measures to decongest the ORR stretch, which houses several major IT parks and tech campuses.
ORR: A chronic traffic bottleneck
The Outer Ring Road, a critical link for thousands of employees working in Bengaluru’s IT and tech hubs, has long struggled with chronic congestion. Despite multiple flyover and signal-free corridor projects, the road remains one of the city’s worst traffic choke points.
Last week, Bengaluru Traffic Police had already issued a separate traffic advisory for the same route, owing to metro station construction by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The affected section — between the 9th Main Road Junction and the 5th Main Road Junction — will remain partially closed for 45 days, further constricting flow along the already congested corridor.
Urban challenges persist
Experts say the jam is yet another reminder of Bengaluru’s growing urban transport crisis. The city’s population has crossed 13 million, and its vehicle count exceeds one crore, leading to severe road congestion across key arterial routes.
Urban planners blame the issue on poor road infrastructure, inadequate public transport, and unplanned development along high-density areas like ORR and Whitefield. Despite metro expansions and smart traffic management systems, peak-hour commutes often stretch to over two hours, especially during rains or vehicle breakdowns.
Commuters have repeatedly urged the government to accelerate metro connectivity, improve last-mile transport, and introduce dedicated bus lanes to ease congestion on major routes.
For now, Tuesday’s breakdown served as another stark example of how a single stalled vehicle can bring Bengaluru’s traffic to a standstill — a reflection of the city’s fragile urban mobility ecosystem.