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Bengaluru commuter details how a 20-minute ride became a 3.5-hour ordeal over 20 years
A Bengaluru commuter's post about the city's rising traffic woes has gone viral on Reddit.
A viral Reddit post has struck a deep chord with local commuters after a Bengaluru resident detailed how a once-breezy 20-minute ride has, over the years, devolved into an exhausting 3.5-hour daily battle. After switching from a car to a two-wheeler commute between Vidyaranyapura and Whitefield, the resident was hit by the harsh realities of the city's infrastructure.
“From 20-Minute Rides to 3.5-Hour Commute,” the Reddit user wrote, adding, “Recently I switched from commuting by car to riding a bike to office — from Vidyaranyapura to Whitefield. When I used to drive, the total commute time to and fro on a good day itself was close to 3.5 hours. Honestly, it never really hit me because the increase happened gradually over the years. More importantly, inside the car I was always occupied — music, podcasts, or sometimes calls. But on 22 May 2026, while riding back home, a few thoughts suddenly struck me.”
At that moment, the commuter realised how much their commute time had increased over the years. “I remembered my first ride to Whitefield on the Ring Road around 2005–2006 with my friend on a CBZ. Back then, even though it was the Ring Road, there were still a good number of trees along the stretch. I still remember reaching TESCO for an interview in just 20-25 minutes.”
The individual explained, “In the last 20 years, there has probably not been a single day when there was no work happening on the Ring Road towards Whitefield,” adding, “I remember the Ring Road before the flyovers and underpasses.”
Take a look at the full Reddit post:
How did social media react?
An individual posted, “Growing up in the Middle East, I used to see flyovers and overpasses get erected in less than a month. And the entire city probably had less population than 1 block of Koramangala. 20 years to build out a stretch of less than 20 kms is just insane. What are these guys even doing?”
Another expressed, “The reality is no amount of flyovers or underpasses will work. They never do. There is no city on earth with a high quality of life where most people drive private vehicles. Even if you build enough roads, your city becomes a depressing, endless concrete sprawl, like in American or Gulf cities. We need to be like European and Japanese cities and focus on public transport and walking. Hopefully, the blue line opens soon, and you'll have a seamless connection from Vidyarayanapura to Whitefield.”
Also Read: Bengaluru man leaves Bellandur at 5 pm, remains stuck in traffic 3+ hours later
A third commented, “The dust, gravel on the road, and new potholes that appear every day make riding a two-wheeler extremely hazardous, forcing many to switch to cars. This, in turn, increases traffic congestion, and everything is interconnected. This situation won’t be fixed anytime soon. Now, the proposed white topping project will only make things worse.” A fourth wrote, “Look at the dust and the trees which barely have leaves, it looks like a warzone.”
OP responds to criticism:
Responding to those criticising the post, the OP shared, “I understand cities grow, roads expand, and construction is part of that growth. But somewhere, there has to be a limit to all this. At the end of the day, most people just want to reach home a little earlier and spend some quality time with their family, kids, or elderly parents. Sometimes all this stress, traffic, and exhaustion unknowingly gets taken out on family, kids, and elderly parents instead.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
