Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, July 28: In a bid to ease the worsening traffic congestion across Bengaluru’s IT corridors, the city’s traffic police have advised tech companies to implement a ‘Work From Home Wednesday’ policy.

The suggestion, made by Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy, is part of a larger strategy to tackle gridlocks that routinely paralyse major roads, especially around tech parks and the Outer Ring Road stretch.

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“Traffic snarls have become unbearable in IT zones. Allowing employees to work from home every Wednesday can significantly ease the load on our roads,” Reddy said, adding that the mid-week work-from-home model could offer much-needed breathing space for city traffic.

The police have also proposed several supporting measures to reduce peak-hour congestion such as:

• IT companies have been urged to stagger their office timings, with a suggested start time of 7:30 or 8:00 am.
• Firms along the Outer Ring Road are specifically being encouraged to revise shift timings to reduce simultaneous movement.
• Companies are also advised to collaborate with BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) to provide AC bus services for employee pickup and drop.

BMTC has responded positively, agreeing to deploy air-conditioned buses to ease commuter strain.

The rationale behind choosing Wednesday is strategic. “Midweek is ideal as most employees don’t usually plan vacations around it. If Monday or Friday is off, people tend to club it with the weekend. But with Wednesday as WFH, people who travel to their hometowns can continue working remotely without adding to weekday congestion,” Reddy explained.

Authorities are also urging the public to rely more on public transport and reduce the number of personal vehicles on the roads.

With tech companies employing lakhs of people across the city, officials believe that even a minor shift in commuting patterns could have a major impact on Bengaluru’s notorious traffic chaos.