The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s ambitious ₹2.5 crore LED lighting makeover at the Magadi Road toll gate underpass is facing serious backlash from motorists. Designed to inject a dose of urban chic into west Bengaluru with criss-cross LED strips and aluminium composite panel-painted walls, the 185-metre twin-tube underpass now dazzles — quite literally.

But for bikers and drivers, the dazzling lights have turned into a hazard. Commuters say the intense glare is making nighttime driving difficult, even dangerous. “It hits your eyes directly — there’s no way to focus,” said daily user Sharat Rao. Another commuter, Rajath Lakshmesha, summed it up: “Great for Instagram, terrible for the road.”

Citizens are also questioning the civic priorities. “We still have potholes and flooding, but BBMP spends crores to make an underpass look pretty?” asked Karthik Kumar from Vijayanagar.

Experts echo these concerns. Transport specialist Mukund Singh criticized the decision to favor aesthetics over function. “Sodium vapour lamps offer wider, softer lighting. LEDs cause glare and only cover 180 degrees,” he noted, calling the move commercially driven. IISc professor Ashish Verma warned of the real danger: LED glare can cause temporary blindness, raising the risk of collisions.

BBMP insists this is a pilot project meant to modernize city spaces while reducing repainting costs. But as backlash grows, officials may need to dim the dazzle and rethink the balance between beauty and safety.