'Sitting in our cars, and laughing': Bengalureans joke as traffic chaos in London delays England-West Indies match

Mint

2 days ago

England-West Indies 3rd ODI: The third ODI between England and the West Indies on Tuesday hit an unexpected speed bump — London's traffic chaos. But while players were stuck in gridlock across the UK capital, it was Bengaluru that somehow zoomed into the spotlight.
Why? Because of the city's infamous traffic jams. Social media couldn't resist the comparison — and soon, London's congestion was being compared with Bengaluru.
'Hahahaha!!! All of us in Bangalore are sitting in our cars, and laughing at this,' one user wrote, reacting to a clip of the delayed toss between England and West Indies.
Cricketers of both England, West Indies team got stuck on their respective buses on the way to the Oval in south London, with England's players deciding to get off and ride bikes to the ground instead.
Videos of the same started doing the rounds on social media, leaving netizens amused.
'Arriving at the ground in style. Only one way to beat the road closures in London,' England Cricket posted on their X account.
The mirth on social media continued, with netizens taking a swipe at Bengaluru traffic.
'If this had happened in India, all English cricketers would tweet about how BCCI with so much funds is not solving Bangalore traffic issues,' wrote one user with multiple smiling emojis.
'Now we know what they meant by Bangalore being the most English among all Indian cities!' quipped in another user.
This is not the first time that social media has been flooded with a wave of discussions on how nasty Bangalore traffic jams can get.
In March, Bengaluru's never-ending traffic jams became the subject of satire after former Infosys director Mohandas Pai posted a humorous take on X (formerly Twitter). He announced a fictional 'Chaar Jam Yatra'—a four-day, three-night 'tour' through some of the city's worst traffic hotspots, including Outer Ring Road, Silkboard Junction, Marathahalli, and HSR Layout.
Mohandas Pai's joke resonated with many Bengaluru residents who deal with daily traffic congestion, sparking widespread reactions online.
Last month, Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath added to the discussion on Bengaluru's traffic. During his podcast, the Zerodha co-founder asked Bengaluru's Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, MN Anucheth for a solution to the city's traffic woes.
The top cop said that Bangalore has long struggled with inadequate public transportation options. Prior to the introduction of the metro system, the city's primary mode of public transit was limited to BMTC buses. Unlike cities such as Kolkata, which has trams, Delhi with its expansive metro network, or Mumbai with its well-established local trains, Bangalore lacked a diverse and efficient public transport system, he said.