Bengaluru: The TomTom-2025’s description of Bengaluru as the second congested city in the world is the worst confirmation of a malady long known but treated superficially and sporadically. For Bengalureans battling traffic snarls every day, the woes run deeper and require an all-round solution, beyond the binaries of tunnels and flyovers. Better mobility, not just wider roads, should be a top priority.While the TomTom report pegged the average travel time for a 10km drive at 36 minutes and 9 seconds in 2025, netizens called it a benign estimate. Some suggested it took nearly 60 minutes to cover 10km on several stretches, especially the tech corridor.
“Numbers don’t do enough justice. Drive for one day and feel how it is on the ground,” remarked a motorist on X. Another netizen, pointing to the embarrassment caused to the city by the report, said Bengaluru’s congestion is an outcome of years of poor policies.What has baffled many is the state govt’s silence on the issue.Naresh Narasimhan, urbanist, said: “Bengaluru’s congestion stems not from road shortages but mobility failures — unreliable public transport, unsafe walking and cycling force private vehicles, filling every flyover. Fragmented governance digs roads repeatedly; silos in traffic, land use, and transit breed chaos. We move cars, not people, equitably — disconnected jobs and housing (like Electronic City sans metro) ensure gridlock.” Going forward, he suggested: “Make buses fastest with dedicated lanes, signal priority, and last-mile connectivity. Fix basics for under-5km short trips — safe paths slash congestion. Coordinate utilities to end endless digging. Plan mobility to cut vehicles per km, not just speed cars. Align high-density development with transit; locate jobs and services near homes. Unify governance with accountability. Mobility lags Bengaluru’s growth — you can’t build your way out of congestion.”Inset – 1 (with mugshot)We’re encouraging people to use public transport such as BMTC and Metro to reduce the number of private vehicles and ease congestion on Outer Ring Road. The commissioner will chair a meeting with tech companies located along ORR and other govt stake-holders to understand their mobility challenges and find solutions to decrease congestion.— Karthik Reddy | joint commissioner (traffic)Inset – 2TOI spoke to with urban enthusiasts and RWA members on likely solutionsChristopher Cruz, executive member, Federation of North East Residents’ Welfare Association: Bengaluru has a parking problem, not a road problem. With 14,000 km of motorable roads, we surrender over 4,000km for parking, choking our city. Forget flyovers or tunnels. First, reclaim what’s ours: Build one multilevel public parking per ward. Ban parking on roads. Mandate proof of parking for every vehicle registration. Enforce lane discipline with cameras and fines. Tie trade licences to off-street parking for shops and offices. These demand political will, not cosmetic fixes.Naresh Sadasivan, member, Bruhuth Muthanallur Residents’ Forum: We proposed a mobility plan for Sarjapur and ORR called SORT (Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Transformation) and wanted to take an integrated, holistic approach. ORR was congested because of Sarjapur Road; nearly 40-50% of the traffic was because of neighbourhood people, especially techies who chose to drive their cars even though single occupancy caused traffic chaos. Ensure walkability, better footpaths, and cycle tracks, so these people can move around in 2-3km without causing traffic. Bus connectivity should increase.Vishnu Prasad, member of Save Bellandur Forum: Reforms, urban governance and land reforms to build infra are absent. In GBA, there is no town planning or administration. For example, every private commercial establishment converted basements from parking to rental offices and stores, and footpaths and narrow roads are allowed to be encroached upon. Last-mile public transport is not planned with reliable frequency. All this means less space for mobility and more encouragement for people to violate all norms.Srinivas Alavilli, fellow, WRI India: It’s a math failure: Vehicle growth outpaces road capacity. As we draft masterplan, we must shift focus from moving vehicles to moving people: 1. We need data-driven planning to fix network gaps; 2. Durable roads with provision for utilities, safe junctions, and pedestrian-centric design; 3. Increase bus fleet to bridge Metro’s last-mile gap. By partnering with tech parks to nudge employees towards public transport, we can reduce trips on personal vehicles.
