Bengaluru ‘ORRmageddon': Commuters say walking 10K steps is faster than driving through city traffic
Muralikrishnan B
, Research Scholar at ISB and former Xiaomi India President, summed up the daily ordeal with one line: 'ORRmageddon, 6kms - 1 hour, And FWIW I can run a 10K in 45 minutes.' His words, shared on X, struck a nerve. It paints a clear picture — crawling through Marathahalli, Bellandur, or Sarjapur has turned into an hour-long crawl for a distance one could jog faster.
Thousands of commuters related instantly. The term 'ORRmageddon' blends ORR and Armageddon — an apocalypse on wheels. No day passes without jams triggered by rain, a stalled lorry or sheer volume. The road feeds massive tech hubs. Lakhs rely on it daily. They see flyovers and signal-free plans roll out, but these quick fixes rarely dent the gridlock.
Monday blues and Pandemic parallels
Mondays in Bengaluru feel less like a fresh week, more like a trial by bumper-to-bumper traffic. Entrepreneur Dilip Kumar spoke for many when he posted on X: 'Why can't we pretend there is a pandemic and it's called road traffic and go back to working from home and doing online meetings? It's painful to get stuck for two hours on a Monday morning and act enthusiastic. There is no medicine for the stress from Bangalore traffic.'
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His call found an audience. Users piled on with stories. One wrote, 'Please explain this to corporates and start-ups. My ex-colleague once said people who work from home never work.' Another added, 'No pretence necessary! That exists!'
Commuters share cost of chaos
The floodgates opened with commuters detailing how daily traffic has twisted their lives inside out. 'Opted for a remote job for the same reason and moved out of Bangalore. While I was there, I lived right across from the office. It was the only way I could manage,' said one user.
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Another painted a grim timeline: 'I commute 12 to 15 km one way. I leave at 7:15 am to reach in 45 minutes. But recently, it took me 90 minutes one day and 3.5 hours another. It's unbearable.' Health tolls came up too: 'It affects the entire day. For those with motion sickness or who drive, the late start stretches the day and disrupts the cardiac cycle,' one wrote.
Sabeer Bhatia calls traffic out
While posts from locals grabbed eyeballs, Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia's comment gave the debate new fuel. He didn't mince words: 'I know Bengaluru folks may call this negative… but the traffic here is INSANE. I ride the same distance on my bicycle in 1/3 the time in the Bay Area. How do people tolerate this every day?'
Responses flew in. Some agreed. Others pushed back. 'Can you go on a bike to Oakland in the Bay Area after 5 PM? In Bengaluru, people can travel even to Mysuru at midnight and return safely. Try that in Oakland without fearing for your life,' shot back one user.
Bhatia's post hit a nerve. Many pointed fingers at bigger problems. 'There's no use complaining. Our government cannot solve even the most basic urban issues. If you really want to help, start creating companies in smaller cities instead of congesting the metros. That's the real way India can grow,' one person wrote.
Others explained how they cope. 'We've just adapted,' said a resident. 'I live near a metro station. My wife's office is a kilometre away. My kid's school is even closer. I pay a premium for that location, but it's worth it.' Not everyone has that option.
For many, the pandemic offered a glimpse of calm roads. Some now see remote work as the only workable fix. 'WFH isn't a cure for the traffic pandemic, but it's a much-needed painkiller. Companies have the power to relieve this daily suffering, why not use it immediately?' read another post.
Once celebrated as India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru's success story now idles in queues of cars and buses. The Outer Ring Road symbolises this tension. Its daily jams tell of breakneck growth outpacing old roads and patchy plans.
People are tired. From 'ORRmageddon' jokes to blunt calls for remote work, the city's gridlock is more than a nuisance — it's pushing people to rethink where they live, how they work, and how long they can keep doing this daily crawl.
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