Bengaluru traffic

I had written a post long back about why Bengaluru or Bangalore, India is an ideal place for NRIs to return back…in that post I carefully avoided one of the Bengaluru’s worst kept secrets – the notorious and infamous Bengaluru traffic! 🙂

Bengaluru not having the same infrastructure as a Chennai – is more prone to nasty traffic. The roads are definitely more narrow and with the area seeing rapid growth with new apartments, malls and the metro construction – you can imagine the state of the roads!! Numerous vehicles try to get past the small space everyday causing frustration and delays.  Living in the heart of India’s Silicon valley and literally sitting in the eye of the traffic storm , I get to witness the serpentine traffic as I step out each day(and remember in India we have vehicles of all shapes and sizes- the autos, the bikers, the water tankers, the buses, the cars, the SUVs, the bicyclists, the pedestrians)  Here are a few realities :

1. As soon as you walk out of your home/apartment you will see traffic standing in a long line right in front of you. On those days it is good to just “work from home”, walk – if your destination is closer or try other modes of transportation. (like an auto, bus, car pooling etc)
2. 2 kms does take 45 minutes on certain sectors!(Silk board, Kundanahalli gate, Marathahalli) It is still amazing how most of these vehicles weave in and out of traffic and reach their destination. They also drive so close to each other and still not cause major collisions !!(there are still scratches, bumps for vehicles along the way! :))
3. In spite of all the traffic, I do see many solo drivers on cars(why?)
4. When it rains, chaos doubles or triples – you can be assured that you will be rooted to the same spot for at least an hour! 
5. You will see bikers also moving in all directions(they will drive confidently on the wrong side of the road without a helmet!)
6. The back roads and smaller roads are a savior for many(there are plenty of back roads for every major road – but they might be in worse shape than the main road)

So, how does everybody  go about their work?

1. Many of them find the time of day when the traffic is relatively lighter and which works in the office(say, leave,  1/2 hr early from home everyday)
2. This might be a known fact – but many companies do have their own transportation for their employees to chauffeur them around  within a certain radius(a good move, I would say)
3. Many people still drive 20 kms or so everyday for their work and I am sure they have their schedule for working out things(like finishing con-calls in the car! :))
4. Good rule of thumb is  to never go out on a Saturday!! 🙂 You will not get to your destination, rather – you will only be stuck in traffic for hours.
5. Plan family activities and other fun things for a Sunday!

And the silver lining – if you have lived and commuted in Bengaluru, you can drive anywhere in the world! 🙂