Bengaluru traffic: How rain and police efforts to ease Outer Ring Road congestion left techies stuck in offices for hours

Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) on Tuesday evening, disrupting movement near key tech corridors. The traffic police took action by closing gates of major tech parks to alleviate the gridlock, leaving many tech workers stranded in their offices for hours.

Traffic advisory issued to companies

An advisory was issued to companies in the ORR area, which read: “This is to keep you updated that there is heavy traffic congestion at Outer Ring Road due to heavy rain, waterlogging occurred in and around Eco space. Hence, Traffic police took a decision to close all tech park gates and allow a staggered manner to ease the traffic. Request your cooperation on the same.”

Tech workers unable to leave offices

Many tech employees working in some of the largest tech parks, such as Eco Space and Eco World, found themselves unable to leave after work hours. Some returned to their offices as they were stuck in traffic for long periods.

A commuter shared their frustration on social media, saying, “Kadubeesanahalli, ORR traffic is completely standstill. Many of my colleagues came back to their desks as they were not able to get out of the tech parks after waiting for an hour.”

Another tech worker wrote, “Insane traffic this evening at ORR. For the past 2.5 hours, I've driven 4 km at 2 km mileage. I pray no one should experience this madness; this is getting beyond repair.”

Work from home advisory and school closure

In response to the situation, the IT, BT, and electronics departments advised private companies to allow employees to