A school bus got stuck in a traffic jam on the Outer Ring Road near Bellandur on Thursday. | Photo credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
The ripple effect of Outer Ring Road (ORR) traffic coupled with narrow lanes has become a major problem for commuters on link roads, especially school buses, as vehicles crawl along these stretches every day during peak hours.
For example, hundreds of school buses ply around Doddakannalli, Adarsh Palm Retreat and beyond. Sections in this area are a frequent victim of ORR-induced congestion and increased vehicular movement on connecting roads trying to avoid the ORR.
Three main roads connect to the ORR through this zone: Doddakannalli–Bellandur Road, Ambalipura–Sarjapura Road and Doddakannalli–Kadubeesanahalli Road via Devarabeesanahalli Road.
50 schools within a radius of 10 km
Priyanka Bhargav, an employee of a private company in the area and a parent of a schoolgirl, explained that there are at least 50 schools within a 10 km radius, some of which have 500 to 1,000 students. “Hundreds of buses ply in the area to transport them, adding to the existing traffic. As a result, the journey can take two or more hours in the evening to cover just 6 to 8 km,” she told The Hindu.
“This week, a seven-year-old child sitting next to my eight-year-old daughter felt claustrophobic on a long bus ride. In such situations, they are only accompanied by other children who are more or less the same age,” she added.
Crying on the commute
Tahnee Nagaich, a Class 11 student at a private school in Gunjur, who lives in Adarsh Palm Retreat, described her daily commute to and from school as a “nightmare”. “Forget about us, it’s heartbreaking to see primary school children on our bus going through such hardships. We regularly have children crying during the commute,” she said.
Ms. Nagaich further added that adolescent girls face various challenges. “If girls are on their period and need to go to the bathroom during traffic jams like this, where should we go?” she asked. “There are also neurodivergent children who struggle and start crying during these nightmares,” she added.
“I was born and brought up in Bengaluru, but I have never seen such terrible traffic,” she said.
Adding to this, Namratha (name changed), another resident of Adarsh Palm Retreat, said her friend’s children were stuck in traffic on Doddakannalli Road for two hours on Wednesday. She ended up having to pick them up herself because it would take even longer to get home.
“When I went to pick them up, I saw the children crying because they couldn’t get home. The bus started suffocating,” Ms Namratha said.
Permission required
Gopal M. Byakod, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), admitted that traffic congestion on the ORR link roads is an ongoing problem, compounded by several bottlenecks, including the AET junction and ongoing infrastructure work. “Traffic staff are at all these intersections, but many of the smaller roads also need permits. Our staff have to patrol these sections constantly, which means that at least one bottleneck is often unmanned,” he explained.
The police is working with the Greater Bengaluru Authority to tackle the issue and is expected to come up with a solution soon, according to Mr. Byakoda.
Published – 16 Oct 2025 23:22 IST
