Bengaluru: A viral Reddit post has highlighted the hidden cost Bengaluru residents pay in terms of time lost in traffic, sparking widespread discussion on urban congestion and infrastructure challenges in the city. The post, shared on the r/Bengaluru community on Friday, described the daily ordeal of an Oracle employee living in JP Nagar.
Traffic woes and hidden time costs
According to the post, the employee earns Rs 28 lakh per year (excluding RSUs) and pays Rs 6.5 lakh in income tax and Rs 1.4 lakh in GST on daily expenses. The post argued that these taxes are meant to support urban infrastructure, yet the city’s traffic woes remain largely unresolved.
His office is only 14 kilometres away, a journey that should ideally take 30 minutes. In reality, due to heavy congestion, the commute takes 90 minutes one way, amounting to 2.5 months of lost time annually. The post calculated that this equates to approximately 720 hours a year, which many residents experience as a “hidden tax” on their productivity.
The post concluded by questioning whether other Bengaluru commuters were paying the same traffic tax daily due to the city’s poor planning and infrastructure.
Public reaction
The post quickly resonated with the Reddit community, eliciting comments that reflected widespread frustration among urban commuters.
One user remarked, “If you put an engineer working in Bangalore in any foreign country with cleaner air and no traffic, they will become 20% more efficient with no other changes. Everyone is always coughing, sneezing, wheezing and taking leave for their children falling ill, but still say air pollution is not that big a deal.”
Another user commented on the lack of effective action, saying, “People keep complaining on social media, but nothing ever changes. Even a civil war cannot fix all these issues, because people have no unity in our country.”
Some commenters noted additional policy burdens, such as the E20 fuel regulation, further exacerbating commuter challenges. One user lamented, “Instead of investing in the future of the city, Bengaluru has become an orphaned child put to hard labour and no pay.”
Conclusion
Bengaluru residents continue to bear the dual burden of high taxes and inefficient infrastructure, with long hours lost in traffic acting as an indirect “tax” on their time and productivity. The post has sparked renewed debate about the need for better urban planning, public transport investment, and smart city initiatives to alleviate commuting woes.