Rs 20,000 Crore In Losses: How Bengaluru’s Traffic Crisis Is Impacting Its Growth And What Might Help

Bengaluru is in the midddle of a rapid urban expansion fuelled by a booming job market. The explosive growth has transformed the city into a vibrant tech hub — hence its title 'India’s Silicon Valley' — attracting people from across the country.

However, the rapid development has put immense pressure on the city's infrastructure, especially its public transportation system. The result is crippling traffic congestion that hampers productivity, lowers livability, and diminishes the city’s overall competitiveness as a premier business destination.

The Magnitude of the Congestion Crisis

According to the TomTom Traffic Index, Bengaluru ranks as the second most congested city in the world, coming in just behind London.

In 2022, it took an average of 29 minutes and 10 seconds to cover a 10-kilometre (km) distance — a statistic that exemplifies the intensity of the city’s traffic woes.

Beyond the inconvenience for commuters, the economic repercussions of Bengaluru's traffic are alarming. As noted by Karnataka's Electronics, Information Technology (IT), and Biotechnology Minister, Priyank Kharge, the city’s traffic congestion leads to an estimated annual economic loss of Rs 20,000 crore.

This staggering loss stems from wasted time, increased fuel consumption, and lower productivity. At the launch of the Traffic Quality Index (TQI) on 3 October, Kharge highlighted that urban traffic congestion has far-reaching economic consequences, not only slowing down productivity but also undermining Bengaluru's long-term growth potential.

Traffic Quality Index: A Data-Driven Solution

In response to these pressing challenges, the Traffic Quality Index (TQI) has been launched as a new initiative aimed at quantifying and managing traffic congestion in Bengaluru.

Developed by the Bengaluru-based employee commute platform MoveInSync, the TQI leverages 15 years of traffic data and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to provide insights into the severity of traffic in different areas of the city. It operates on a scale ranging from 100 to 900, with higher numbers indicating more severe congestion.

The TQI serves multiple purposes for different stakeholders. Commuters can use the TQI to plan their journeys, much like a weather app predicts conditions to help people make informed decisions. For businesses, the TQI provides insights that can inform decisions about office locations and employee shift timings.

Governments and city planners can utilise the TQI to identify specific infrastructure needs and monitor the effectiveness of current traffic management projects. By providing actionable insights into traffic patterns, the TQI aims to contribute to reducing congestion, enhancing safety, and improving overall commuting efficiency in Bengaluru and other urban centers where it is currently operational, including Mumbai, National Capital Region (NCR), Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Infrastructure Constraints and Roots of Congestion

Bengaluru’s rapid urbanisation has outpaced the growth of its infrastructure. According to a report by Moneycontrol, the city expanded from 88 square km to 985 square km in 2023, and its population has skyrocketed to 145 lakh.

The number of vehicles on the road has grown to nearly 1.5 crore, putting severe pressure on the existing infrastructure. However, the growth in road length has not kept up with the increase in population and vehicular numbers.

The city currently has approximately 11,000 km of roads, which is insufficient to meet the high demand for transportation. This infrastructure deficit has led to consistent traffic bottlenecks, increased travel times, and rising pollution levels.

Rethinking Urban Growth

MoveInSync co-founder Deepesh Agarwal has emphasised the need for public-private partnerships to create both short-term and long-term strategies for tackling Bengaluru's traffic issues. These partnerships are crucial for building the necessary infrastructure while also ensuring that the city's environmental sustainability goals are met.

T V Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital, underscored that there is no "one size fits all" solution to Bengaluru's traffic challenges. Instead, a combination of improved planning, enhanced public infrastructure, better facilities like footpaths, and an expanded metro network is required to ease the pressure on the city’s roads, reports Economic Times.

Pai further suggested that the city needs a comprehensive vision for urban development, with a focus on long-term improvements over the next five years.

To alleviate the city's congestion crisis, Bengaluru must prioritise the development of a reliable and efficient public transportation network. Making public transport accessible, affordable, and convenient can encourage more people to switch from personal vehicles to shared modes of travel, thereby reducing congestion.