 "Commuting in Bengaluru: Walking 6 km will take you less time than driving")
Google Maps has finally validated a sentiment familiar to many residents of Bengaluru: In several instances, walking is faster than driving in the Silicon Valley of India!
Daily commutes in Bengaluru are plagued by notorious traffic jams, causing significant loss of productivity. The city, which has evolved into India’s IT hub, has attracted a vast number of professionals. However, its infrastructure failed to keep pace with this rapid growth. Factors such as rapid urbanisation, inadequate planning, and limited public transport options contribute to the city’s congested roads and peak-hour traffic congestion.
Bengaluru residents took to X (formerly Twitter) to share screenshots of Google Maps displaying the time travel time comparison for walking and driving between Brigade Metropolis and KR Puram Railway Station, which are about 6 km apart.
In the screenshot shared by X user Ayush Singh, Google Maps showed that it would take 44 minutes to drive between the two locations. Surprisingly, walking the same distance would be slightly faster, taking just 42 minutes.
Sharing the screenshot, the user wrote, “This happens only in Bangalore." His post is rapidly gaining traction, amassing over 300,000 views within a day on the social media platform. While numerous users agreed with the sentiment about Bengaluru’s exhausting traffic, others disputed the ‘only in Bengaluru’ claim.
An X user wrote, “Same story across many metro cities in the world.”
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“Mumbai and Delhi also have the same situation during peak,” X user Abhilash said.
A person referred to Bengaluru as the ‘Traffic Capital of India’, while others advised Singh to use public transport to evade congested roads.
Beijing’s model in Bengaluru?
A Bengaluru resident, drawing inspiration from a project in Beijing, proposed a solution to the city’s severe traffic congestion in a social media post. However, the online community was quick to dismiss the idea shared by user Paras Chopra, deeming it "impossible" to execute in India.
Chopra’s post, which showcased the Beijing initiative, has garnered over 84,000 views and sparked a lively discussion on social media.
In Beijing, individuals caught in traffic can request a ‘rescue’ service for $60. A motorcycle rider will be dispatched to collect the stranded commuter, while another driver will take the car to the desired location.
In a post on X, Chopra, “Bangalore founders, drop that SaaS idea and build this instead.”