Bengaluru’s terrible traffic: Kids return from school at night, techies stuck for hours

A massive jam on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) on September 27 led to frustration among commuters who spent hours stuck in slow-moving traffic. The jam was so bad that some schoolchildren reached home by nightfall – hours after leaving their schools in the afternoon -- according to posts shared on the microblogging platform X (Twitter).

One Bengaluru resident criticised the traffic police’s statement on the traffic while blaming the city’s lack of public transport, poor planning and terrible roads for the mess. “My children returned from school at 9 pm, and these guys are blaming the citizens,” wrote Ritesh Banglani. He was referring to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru Traffic) MN Anucheth’s statement providing five reasons for the jam.

This is a disgraceful statement from the government. Instead of making excuses, maybe admit that Bangalore has no public transport, terrible drainage, badly maintained roads and poor city planning. My children returned from school at 9 pm, and these guys are blaming the citizens. pic.twitter.com/v9FvImQBHQ

— Ritesh Banglani (@banglani) September 27, 2023

Other parents confirmed that the massive traffic jam on ORR led to unprecedented delays for schoolchildren coming back home.

One screenshot shared on X reveals that a certain school bus dropped children home at 8 pm on September 27. Another screenshot shows a parent worrying about their child who is stuck in traffic. The message is time-stamped 9.07 pm.

Any company on ORR which wants to bring their employees 100% to office should learn a lesson and leave Bangalore. We can’t take you. Today has been a true example. @0RRCA @ChristinMP_

— Samit Singh (@kumarsamit) September 27, 2023

ORR being Bengaluru’s tech corridor, techies were perhaps the worst-affected by the jam. In view of the unusual congestion, traffic police issued an advisory asking IT companies to delay logout time for their employees.

Those who were stuck in traffic took to social media to vent their frustration, with many saying their vehicles moved barely an inch in three to four hours.

Bengaluru Traffic Police offered five reasons for the jam – double volume of vehicles after the bandh, upcoming long weekend, waterlogged roads due to rain, potholes on the road and vehicle breakdowns.