Bengaluru registers 58,913 new vehicles in August – Roads pushed closer to gridlock

Despite adding nearly 59,000 private vehicles in just one month, Bengaluru’s public transport remains stagnant, raising alarms about a looming traffic crisis.

Bengaluru’s infamous traffic nightmare appears to be heading towards an irreversible tipping point. According to data from the Transport Department, 58,913 new private vehicles, including cars and two-wheelers, were registered in August 2025, the highest monthly addition so far this financial year.

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The city had already seen 49,166 new registrations in April, 50,311 in May, 53,394 in June, and 51,595 in July. With August’s surge, Bengaluru’s total private vehicle count has crossed 1.06 crore, forming a staggering 88% of the city’s total vehicular population of 1.21 crore as of August 31, 2025.

This relentless rise has sparked urgent calls for systemic interventions to prevent Bengaluru from becoming what many describe as a “permanently gridlocked city.” Civic activists have highlighted that while private vehicle ownership is exploding, there has been no proportionate increase in the number of city buses. Metro expansion remains sluggish, and Bengaluru’s person-to-vehicle ratio is now among the worst in the world. The situation, they argue, is a direct consequence of decades of unplanned urban development.

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There is growing pressure on the Karnataka government to empower planning authorities like the Metropolitan Planning Committee and District Planning Committees, as mandated under the 74th Constitutional Amendment. Experts recommend preparing data-backed vision plans and master plans that involve urban planners, transport specialists, sociologists, and economists to build a holistic mobility blueprint for the city.

Critics of current infrastructure projects have also called for shelving mega projects such as the JP Nagar–Hebbal double-decker flyover and the Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel road. These projects, they argue, only encourage more private vehicle use and worsen congestion in the long run. Instead, investment in bus fleet expansion, better last-mile connectivity, and sustainable mobility solutions are seen as urgent priorities.

Without immediate action, activists warn that Bengaluru’s already notorious traffic may soon cross a point of no return, turning daily commutes into hours-long ordeals for its 1.3 crore residents and crippling economic productivity in the city.

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