Bengaluru commuters face long delays due to traffic gridlocks on Old Madras Road

Traffic congestion on Suranjan Das Road in Bengaluru is forcing commuters to drive on the wrong side of the road and jump traffic signals.

Choke Points And Delays

Delays in junction improvement works at the NGEF Signal and the failure of signal synchronisation have turned Suranjandas Road, 80 Feet Road and 100 Feet Road into major choke points. These three roads feed traffic into Old Madras Road in east Bengaluru. The increased traffic on these stretches strains Old Madras Road, where queues force commuters to wait for at least two signal cycles to cross a signalised junction for most of the day, despite a 90-second green signal. On Suranjandas Road, where the green light lasts less than 40 seconds, commuters wait for three to four cycles. Regular commuter Deeksha C. said it takes at least 15 to 20 minutes on Suranjandas Road near the NGEF signal. She noted that alternative routes are also choked, increasing travel time multi-fold. Autorickshaw driver Vijay Kumar, standing near the NGEF bus stand, said drivers refuse short-distance rides requiring them to cross the NGEF Junction during peak hours. He added that two-wheeler riders and autorickshaw drivers travel against the direction of traffic on one-way roads. When reporters visited the area, commuters heading towards the NGEF signal used the one-way stretch towards New Tippasandra, increasing the risk of fatal accidents, with similar scenes on 80 Feet Road and 100 Feet Road.

Pedestrian Risks And Official Response

Crossing Suranjandas Junction has become a hard task for pedestrians, who get only ten seconds to cross while motorists also use that window. Traffic from Kallapalli Road and Old Madras Road taking right turns toward the same road creates a bottleneck and puts pedestrians at risk. A senior traffic police officer said a skywalk has been proposed at the junction due to high pedestrian movement near the S.V. Road Metro station, and the junction is listed for improvement under the Suraksha 75 project, though no work has started. Calls to Central Corporation officials for comment on the delay went unanswered. Meanwhile, Bengaluru Traffic Police synchronised signals along Old Madras Road, but the measure failed to yield desired results. A traffic officer explained that multiple ambulances use the stretch, forcing officers to switch to manual control and making it difficult to keep signals synchronised. A senior GBA official stated that an underpass proposal was scrapped when HAL Airport Road became signal-free. Now, B-SMILE has floated a tender for an elevated corridor connecting KR Puram to Yeshwantpur with multiple downramps, which the official said will reduce congestion as through traffic uses the flyover. However, the elevated corridors project has faced substantial opposition from citizens.

Context

Rapid urban growth and rising vehicle ownership in Bengaluru have placed immense pressure on existing arterial and sub-arterial road infrastructure. Junction bottlenecks frequently create cascading traffic jams that spill over into residential lanes and disrupt public transport. Urban transport planners often debate whether adding flyovers and elevated corridors eases congestion or simply attracts more private vehicles onto the roads.