Anatomy of Delhi's Congestion

February 16, 2025

"The immediate sign of the mobility crisis is paralysing congestion in cities. As cities struggle to sustain a healthy growth in public transport, cycling and walking for the urban masses, explosive growth in personal cars and two-wheelers lock-in enormous pollution, energy intensity, and wasteful use of land. Mobility becomes so inefficient that people cannot reach destinations with ease, incur high journey costs, suffer unpredictable commuting time, and lose productive time. All of these add up to high health costs and welfare losses. Choking congestion not only slows down revival and reinvention of public transport and active mobility, it also defeats the purpose of increasing investments in mass transport and vehicle electrification. It is a paradox that even as electric buses are increasing, their usage and ridership are declining. 

Even though this crisis is part of the lived reality of the urban masses, cities do not make the effort to generate on-ground evidence on the factors contributing to this problem to recalibrate the solutions. This assessment therefore decodes the elements of Delhi’s congestion in the real-world in terms of travel patterns, travel costs, bus service level, commuters experience with congestion and commuting, to provide the basis for enhancement of public transport efficiency, improve reliability, and promote sustainable mobility through better planning and integrated infrastructure solutions."