Bengaluru's Traffic Nightmare: TomTom Ranking Confirms What Residents Already Knew
The TomTom-2025 report's designation of Bengaluru as the world's second most congested city serves as a stark, official confirmation of a chronic problem that citizens have endured for years. For Bengalureans who navigate daily traffic snarls, this recognition merely validates their lived experience of a deeply entrenched mobility crisis.
Numbers Versus Reality: The Ground Truth of Bengaluru's Congestion
While the TomTom report calculated an average travel time of 36 minutes and 9 seconds for a 10-kilometer drive in 2025, many netizens and daily commuters argue this estimate is overly optimistic. On social media platform X, users reported that covering 10 kilometers on key stretches, particularly in the city's tech corridors, could take nearly 60 minutes during peak hours.
"Numbers don't do enough justice. Drive for one day and feel how it is on the ground," remarked one frustrated motorist. Another commenter highlighted the city's embarrassment, attributing the congestion to decades of poor urban planning and policy failures.
Expert Analysis: Why Bengaluru's Traffic Problem Is a Mobility Failure
Urbanist Naresh Narasimhan provides crucial insight into the systemic nature of Bengaluru's traffic woes. He emphasizes that the issue stems not from a shortage of roads, but from comprehensive mobility failures.
- Unreliable public transport systems
- Unsafe conditions for walking and cycling
- Fragmented governance leading to repeated road digging
- Disconnected land use planning separating jobs from housing
"We move cars, not people, equitably," Narasimhan observes, pointing to developments like Electronic City that lack metro connectivity as prime examples of planning failures that guarantee gridlock.
Official Response and Community Perspectives
Traffic authorities acknowledge the severity of the situation. Joint Commissioner Karthik Reddy announced plans to engage with tech companies along Outer Ring Road to develop solutions encouraging public transport use through BMTC and Metro services.
Community representatives offer diverse perspectives on potential solutions:
- Christopher Cruz of the Federation of North East Residents' Welfare Association argues Bengaluru has a parking problem rather than a road problem, with approximately 4,000 kilometers of motorable roads surrendered for parking.
- Naresh Sadasivan from Bruhuth Muthanallur Residents' Forum emphasizes integrated approaches like the proposed SORT plan, focusing on walkability and cycling infrastructure for short trips.
- Vishnu Prasad of Save Bellandur Forum points to governance failures, including commercial establishments converting parking spaces to rental offices and inadequate last-mile connectivity.
- Srinivas Alavilli from WRI India highlights the mathematical reality: vehicle growth consistently outpaces road capacity expansion.
The Path Forward: Holistic Solutions Beyond Infrastructure
Experts unanimously agree that Bengaluru cannot simply build its way out of congestion. Narasimhan's recommendations include:
- Making buses the fastest option through dedicated lanes and signal priority
- Creating safe infrastructure for short trips under 5 kilometers
- Coordinating utility work to prevent endless road digging
- Aligning high-density development with transit infrastructure
- Unifying governance with clear accountability mechanisms
The consensus is clear: Bengaluru needs comprehensive mobility planning that prioritizes moving people rather than vehicles, with integrated solutions addressing public transport, last-mile connectivity, land use planning, and governance coordination.
