‘I lose 2.5 months a year in traffic’: Bengaluru techie’s viral Reddit rant hits home
Despite earning ₹28 lakh annually (excluding RSUs), he calculates that between ₹6.5 lakh in income tax and ₹1.4 lakh in GST, he gives away more than three months of his time to the government.
- Sep 22, 2025,
- Updated Sep 22, 2025 7:59 AM IST
A Reddit post from a Bengaluru tech professional has reignited debate around one of the city’s oldest afflictions — traffic. But this time, it's not just about road rage or lost time. The post frames congestion as a “hidden tax” on productivity, sparking widespread resonance across social media and among India’s tech workforce. In a city that powers the country’s digital economy, the cost of commuting may be higher than ever.
The original post, shared by a techie who lives in JP Nagar and works along the Outer Ring Road, lays bare the lived reality behind Bengaluru’s infamous gridlock. Though his office is just 14 kilometers away, his commute stretches to 90 minutes each way — a threefold increase over what should be a half-hour journey.
Despite earning ₹28 lakh annually (excluding RSUs), he calculates that between ₹6.5 lakh in income tax and ₹1.4 lakh in GST, he gives away more than three months of his time to the government. Add to that the 2.5 months spent sitting in traffic, and he estimates nearly six months of his year are lost to what he calls “visible and invisible taxes.”
The frustration extends beyond personal inconvenience. “Taxes are supposed to fund better roads and smarter cities,” he wrote. “But the result is mismanaged planning and roads that punish us daily.”
The post has struck a chord online. One Reddit user commented, “If you put a Bangalore engineer in a foreign city with clean air and no traffic, they’d be 20% more efficient — with no other changes.”
Another user pointed to overcrowding: “Everyone is rushing to Bangalore like bees and expecting Dubai-like infrastructure. Why not push investment into tier-2 cities instead?”
Others highlighted civic behavior as part of the problem. “Illegal parking on service roads creates half these bottlenecks,” one wrote, calling out hotspots like Marathahalli and Kadubeesanahalli.
While Bengaluru continues to wear the badge of India’s Silicon Valley, its infrastructure struggles to keep pace.
A Reddit post from a Bengaluru tech professional has reignited debate around one of the city’s oldest afflictions — traffic. But this time, it's not just about road rage or lost time. The post frames congestion as a “hidden tax” on productivity, sparking widespread resonance across social media and among India’s tech workforce. In a city that powers the country’s digital economy, the cost of commuting may be higher than ever.
The original post, shared by a techie who lives in JP Nagar and works along the Outer Ring Road, lays bare the lived reality behind Bengaluru’s infamous gridlock. Though his office is just 14 kilometers away, his commute stretches to 90 minutes each way — a threefold increase over what should be a half-hour journey.
Despite earning ₹28 lakh annually (excluding RSUs), he calculates that between ₹6.5 lakh in income tax and ₹1.4 lakh in GST, he gives away more than three months of his time to the government. Add to that the 2.5 months spent sitting in traffic, and he estimates nearly six months of his year are lost to what he calls “visible and invisible taxes.”
The frustration extends beyond personal inconvenience. “Taxes are supposed to fund better roads and smarter cities,” he wrote. “But the result is mismanaged planning and roads that punish us daily.”
The post has struck a chord online. One Reddit user commented, “If you put a Bangalore engineer in a foreign city with clean air and no traffic, they’d be 20% more efficient — with no other changes.”
Another user pointed to overcrowding: “Everyone is rushing to Bangalore like bees and expecting Dubai-like infrastructure. Why not push investment into tier-2 cities instead?”
Others highlighted civic behavior as part of the problem. “Illegal parking on service roads creates half these bottlenecks,” one wrote, calling out hotspots like Marathahalli and Kadubeesanahalli.
While Bengaluru continues to wear the badge of India’s Silicon Valley, its infrastructure struggles to keep pace.