Bengaluru’s traffic tangle: Police plan right-side driving at key junctions to ease gridlock

BENGALURU: Police plan to shift from regular left-side driving to American-style right-side driving on a few Bengaluru roads close to junctions, infamous for traffic congestion, in their latest plan to fight the city's everlasting traffic problem.

So, highly-congested junctions like Goraguntepalya on the Bengaluru-Tumakuru road could soon see vehicles moving on the right side of the road. Police hope this move will help in reducing congestion and bottlenecks, in particular, during peak hours.

"The vehicles exiting from the city should move more speedily compared to those entering. This ensures empty roads inside, particularly at junctions of the central business district.

Thus, vehicles entering the city from different directions can enter at a steady pace," said director-general and inspector-general of police MA Saleem, who is known for his expertise in traffic issues, during an interaction at the Press Club here.



Saleem said police will soon apply the plan between CMT junction (past Jalahalli Circle), Outer Ring Road, and Mysuru Road (Nayandahalli junction). "Here, vehicles entering the city from the direction of Tumakuru can use the right-side driving on the lane that moves without much disturbance.

Earlier, they stopped at regular intervals, including at junctions. Now, with the introduction of right-lane driving, they will not stop at junctions," he told TOI.

Asked about the feasibility of shifting to right-hand-side driving for a few road stretches in the city, Saleem replied: "It is already in practice opposite Garuda Mall and is very successful."

Saleem said police are continuously working with other agencies like GBA and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in a bid to lessen traffic congestion on national highways connecting the city. "The capacity of city roads is less compared to the vehicle density.

More usage of public transport is the best solution at hand. In Mumbai, 82% of the population uses public transport for regular travel. Here, only 47% uses it. But yes, the govt is making best efforts to increase the modes of public transport," he said.

How does this system work near Garuda Mall?

Introduced about four to five years ago, this system allows vehicles to use the right-side driving for a stretch of nearly 400 metres between Mayohall-Garuda Mall-Dsouza Circle. Here, vehicles moving in the right-side lane from Mayohall have a free right turn and reach Dsouza Circle without stopping.

If this system had not been introduced, the vehicles would have to stop at the Garuda Mall traffic signal. With one less stop, the vehicle movement is free, police explained.