‘Bengaluru feels like Bengaluru again’: City rejoices rare smooth traffic over long weekend

Bengaluru residents celebrate unusually smooth traffic during the festive long weekend as thousands head home, revealing a glimpse of the city’s potential.

Published on: Oct 3, 2025, 18:20:10 IST

By Yamini C S, Bengaluru

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In a rare turn of events, Bengaluru’s roads, infamous for their gridlocked chaos, are offering a surprisingly smooth ride this festive long weekend, and residents are celebrating the welcome change on social media.

Social media posts celebrated the rare opportunity for quick commutes and the city's potential without congestion. (Reddit)

Thanks to the exodus of thousands heading to their hometowns for festivals and the extended break, major traffic choke points across the city have cleared up, with travel times drastically cut and daily commutes feeling almost surreal.

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A viral post on social media platform X perfectly captured the mood with a screenshot showing a breezy 19-minute drive covering 8.1 km, captioned simply: “Just peaceful Bengaluru.” The user quoted a separate post which said, “After living in Bangalore for so long, I’ve realised that the best time to stay in Bangalore is during festivals when everyone leaves.”

On Reddit, the excitement was even more palpable. One user shared their disbelief: “Crossed the Marathahalli OOR U-turn in just 2 mins! What sorcery is this?” They went on to note, “Bengaluru being Bengaluru again. All the people have went to their hometown due to festivals and long weekend. Bengaluru is starting to feel Bengaluru again (even for a while). Felt good without all the traffic!”

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Several users responded, with one writing, “Enjoy it till Sunday I guess.”

“Take enough trips these days of ORR to cherish it later!” another echoed.

Another Reddit post read, “Bengaluru in Parallel Universe. Whitefield to Ecospace in under 30 minutes:) Feels like a dream ;)”

“Koramangala to Kadubisanahalli in 30 minutes,” a user responded in the comments.

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“Monday will be back with revenge!” another posted.

These unusually traffic-free moments have become something of a tradition during major holidays, giving those who stay back a rare glimpse of the city’s potential without its usual vehicular chaos.

While the peace is expected to be short-lived, for now, Bengaluru residents are soaking in the luxury of open roads, quick commutes, and a reminder of what city life could be — if only for a few days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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