6 reasons why Bengaluru’s roads horrified a Chennai resident – Team-BHP

There are no traffic jams, they are blockades, vehicles from all four directions meet at centre point and don’t move forever.

BHPian tiagoatrix recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Bengalurians,

I am here in Bengaluru for a week to spend my vacation at my sister’s house (In Belathur).

My observations as an outsider:

• There’s only sand, dust and gravel and some ditches (Like the great ditch of Whitefield), I’m yet to see a road here.
• There are no traffic jams, they are blockades, vehicles from all four directions meet at centre point and don’t move forever.
• Without non existent roads, Bengaluru traffic police have no moral right to fine /impound vehicles.
• Karnataka has the highest road tax in the country, eager to know where these taxes are pocketed.
• The only time I ever despised driving is while driving here, how do you guys do daily?
• I can’t stop comparing Chennai and Bengaluru’s traffic and roads, Chennai is at least 10 years ahead in road quality and ease of traffic.

Here’s what BHPian balenoed_ had to say on the matter:

Hello there. Happy to see an outsider contributing to this thread as we were bored of doing it. Thanks for holding the fort as this week we gave rest to this thread and we will be back here from next week onwards.

Bangalore is usually forgiving to its road users during this week of the year.

Here’s what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Yes there is no comparison at all between Chennai and Bengaluru with Chennai being way superior in most respects which impact common tax paying citizens (other than the weather!).

I am just ‘fresh-off-the-plane’ from Sri Lanka via Chennai; I have the following observations, having been driven around multiple parts of the Island for a week when on holiday. I haven’t visited there for many years and this week was a real eye-opener.

The glaring contrasts that I now see between anywhere in Sri Lanka and India, in particular, Bengaluru, are numerous, with Sri Lanka being far superior:

• Traffic lane discipline.
• Following road rules.
• Following all speed limits.
• Yielding to traffic where necessary.
• Smooth traffic movement around the numerous roundabouts.
• Uniformly excellent road surfaces and road banking (except some minor surface issues on the road from Awissawela to Colombo).
• Respect for other road users.
• No honking and hurriedly cutting in front.
• Mutual respect between road users, drivers and the traffic police.
• Excellent road markings, traffic signage and scientific, progressive increases and decreases of speed limits along various stretches of road such as one sees in ‘developed’ nations.
• Orderly queues everywhere with no pushing, shoving, jostling and creating alternate queues as we do here in India because we are ‘more equal’ than others.
• Did not notice any VIP behaviour with abiect Police subservience and tons of Red Beacon cars and sirens and motorcades holding up any traffic anywhere. (Despite staying in and around the parts of each town where these ‘dignitaries’ generally hang out. (But then again, maybe they were all on holiday in London!)
• An overall ‘patience’ and ‘calm’ which are in absolutely stark contrast to the frightful levels of noise and anger and indiscipline and impatience that one sees as a matter of daily routine on the roads here in India.

Some road and traffic pics placed here of Sri Lanka, for illustration purposes and to help alleviate our daily misery of Bengaluru roads and traffic:

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