Bengaluru traffic is a daily ‘hidden tax’? Commuters share a shocking theory

Bengaluru’s traffic congestion is increasingly being seen as more than a mere inconvenience. For many residents, the hours spent stuck in traffic translate into lost productivity, health issues, and a tangible impact on their daily lives.

A recent online discussion on Reddit brought these frustrations into focus, highlighting how commuting in the city can feel like an additional cost on top of taxes and living expenses.Time and money are both on the lineOne forum post described the situation of an Oracle employee living in JP Nagar, commuting to Outer Ring Road. He earns ₹28 lakhs a year (excluding RSUs), the employee pays ₹6.5 lakh in income tax and ₹1.4 lakh in GST on daily expenses, as mentioned in the post.Reddit post:

Despite these financial contributions, a 14-kilometre commute that should ideally take 30 minutes often stretches to 90 minutes, amounting to nearly 2.5 months of lost time each year, as explained in the post. The post highlights a growing sentiment: the cost of commuting is not just financial but also measured in hours lost.Productivity and health under pressureForum users shared how traffic and pollution affect both work efficiency and personal well-being.

One comment noted: “Yup. I always tell this to my team. 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 says air pollution is not a big deal.

”Another user compared international commuting experiences: “Was 50% more efficient in the US and Europe.

In France, even with public transport, it used to take 20 minutes for 10km door to door.”Health concerns were also raised: “This is exactly my issue. Every day I face cough, cold, and headaches despite wearing a mask, drinking hot water, exercising, eating healthy, etc., full of cement dust and fumes from different construction activities.”Beyond infrastructure: Complex challengesSome comments reflected the deeper social and urban challenges behind traffic woes.

One user remarked: “I don't know until when all of us will be bi*ching here and on other social media platforms about these issues, man. Even a civil war cannot fix all these issues, Cause people have no unity in our country. People don't even know who are servants and who are masters.”Another user emphasized the limits of planning alone in addressing congestion: “You can't build highways in a congested city like this, don't expect Singapore-like infrastructure when people are just flooding in for jobs, and it can't be scaled.

Politicians are bad, I agree, but it's not the only way to fix Bangalore. Why doesn't the central government offer tax-free for foreign companies to invest in tier two cities, at least the population will be distributed evenly.

Now everyone is coming to Bangalore like bees and expecting Dubai-like infrastructure.”Thumb image: Canva (for representative purposes only)Disclaimer: The views and experiences shared in this article are based on publicly available online discussions and personal opinions of users. The Times of India does not verify the accuracy of individual claims and is not responsible for any actions or conclusions drawn from them.