'Our kids took 2 hours to reach school': Bengaluru resident’s viral rant on Varthur-Sarjapur Road

Bengaluru residents express frustration over long commutes for school children, with calls for improved infrastructure.

Published on: Oct 17, 2025, 10:25:49 IST

By Anagha Deshpande

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A Bengaluru resident's post has gone viral on social media highlighting the city’s worsening traffic conditions, accompanied by a Google Maps screenshot showing the route fully red with congestion.

According to the post, children traveling from Whitefield to school on Sarjapur-Varthur Road (14 km) took two hours to reach their destination, even at 1 pm off-peak hours. The resident questioned whether authorities were actively addressing potholes and traffic issues on the busy route.

(Also Read: Bengaluru ORR traffic update: Panathur road set to open Friday, congestion to drop )

Read his post here:

The post drew widespread reactions from residents and commuters. Many expressed frustration over the long commute for school children. “This is totally unfair. Hope the government fixes the infrastructure so commute time reduces,” one user commented.

Others emphasized the stress of long daily travel. “Anything beyond 2–3 km isn’t ideal for kids, given the stress and commute time,” another wrote.

Several users criticized the condition of Varthur Market area, calling it a nightmare for daily commuters. “Almost all of Bangalore East is choc-a-bloc,” one post noted.

Several users also suggested long-term solutions, including making Bengaluru more pedestrian-friendly and addressing street vendor encroachment. “Once that happens, everything else will fall into place like a chain effect. No more street vendors blocking walkways; they can be given proper designated spaces with parking facilities,” one user said.

The post also labeled October 14 as a “Black Day” for Bengaluru, referring to severe city-wide traffic that day, including an incident where a bus broke down on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), causing further congestion and delays.

The day has been described by residents as one of the worst in recent memory, highlighting the urgent need for better traffic management and city planning.

Also Read: 'Reality of being pedestrian in India': Canadian man in Bengaluru highlights footpath challenges

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anagha Deshpande
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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