Traffic Congestion & its effects, Congestion in Indian Cities, Location of Bottlenecks/ Jamming, Driver Education and Road Safety, Ribbon Development, Bad Road Conditions, Parking Amenities & Policies, Study of typical intersections, Location of Accidents, Spot Speed Study, PCU Count, Safety On Indian Roads

1. Critical study of safety
aspect of Urban Roads
By:
Emaan Sharma
A Push For An Intelligent Traffic
System

2. Introduction
The situation of road accidents in India is alarming. Basically
driver, vehicle, road and environment contribute to accidents. This
results in loss of several thousand human lives and injury to more
than lakhs of people. Besides this, the wrong practices of
placement of vehicles in unplanned manner are contributing to the
accidents. It is therefore purposed to study the following at different
locations (Patiala):
 Parking
 Location of bottle necks/ jamming
 Study of typical intersections
 Location of accidents

3. TRANSPORT DEMAND
Transport demand in most of
the Indian cities has increased
substantially due to increase in
population as a result of both
natural increase and migration
from rural areas and smaller
towns.

4. PUBLIC TRANSPORTS - OVERCROWDED
Unfortunately, Public
transport systems in Indian
cities have not been able to
keep pace with the rapid and
substantial increase in travel
demand. Qualitatively , the
available public transport
services are overcrowded
particularly during peak hours
and involve long waiting
periods.

5. MASSIVE SHIFT TOWARDS
PERSONALIZED TRANSPORT
As a result, there is a massive shift
towards personalized transport,
specially cars and two-wheelers,
and also proliferation of various
types of intermediate public
transport modes, such as auto-
rickshaws and taxis. The increasing
use of private motor vehicles in
cities has been rapidly changing
their modal-split structure.

6. Motorization may have brought a higher level of mobility to the
high-income segments of urban population, but its adverse
impact in the form of congestion, air pollution, and traffic
accidents is also substantial.

7. TRAFFIC CONGESTION

8. AIR POLLUTION

9. TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

10. The problem of acute road congestion, rising air pollution, and a high
level of accident risk faced by metropolitan cities of India is taking
serious dimensions and worsening the people’s quality of life. Reducing
traffic congestion, vehicular emission, and accident risk requires a
comprehensive strategy. The main objective of such strategy should be
to provide and promote sustainable high quality links for people, goods,
and services to, from and within the city. Strategy should be designed in
such a way that it reduces the need to travel by personalized modes
and boosts public transport system.

11. SERIOUS ROAD ACCIDENTS
India is facing serious road
accident problems. In 2015,
about 148,707 people died
and 482,389 people got
injured due to road accidents.
In a dubious distinction, India
is the only country in the
world which faces more than
14 fatalities and 53 injuries
every hour as a consequence
of road crashes. While in
many developed and
developing countries,
including China, the situation
is generally improving, India
faces a worsening situation.

12. NATURE OF ROAD ACCIDENT
PROBLEM IN INDIAN CITIES
The nature of road accident problem in Indian cities is different
in many ways from that in their counterparts in the developed
countries.
Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and non-motorized
vehicle occupants are often the most vulnerable, unlike cities
from developed world where car and public transport users are
the most vulnerable. Since pedestrians, cyclists, and non-
motorized users are often from the lower socio-economic
groups, road accidents in Indian cities have a disproportionate
impact on the poor and vulnerable in the society.

13. MOST VULNERABLE TO ROAD ACCIDENTS
PEDESTRIAN
MOTORCYCLISTS

14. RIBBON DEVELOPMENT
The growing urbanization and the population explosion have
caused the cities and towns to grow at a fast rate. Most of the
growth has taken place along the highways radiating from them.
Shops, hotels, tea stalls. Repair shops for motor vehicles. Petrol
stations, residences and commercial establishments have sprung
up linearly along the road, with direct access on the highway.
Encroachment of Govt. land goes on without the knowledge of
the highway authorities.

15. RIBBON DEVELOPMENT
ROADSIDE ENCROACHMENTS DHABAS

16. Ribbon development has reached alarming proportions near
towns and cities and even on newly constructed byepasses.
Such an unregulated growth has adversely affected the level of
service of the highway, leading to loss of comfort, increased
congestion, reduced speed and a high accident rate.

17. BAD ROADS, ABSENCE OF SIGN
BOARDS ROOT CAUSE OF TRAFFIC
JAMS

18. BAD ROADS IN INDIAN CITIES

19. MISSING SIGN BOARDS ON INDIAN ROADS

20. CATTLE MENACE ON ROADS LEADING CAUSE
TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

21. VEHICLE OVERLOADING

22. PRESENT SITUATION OF URBAN ROADS AND ROAD TRAFFIC
• EXTREME CONGESTION AND LOW SPEEDS IN THE STREETS DUE TO
INADEQUATE STREET SPACING, CAUSING SERIOUS DELAYS
• MIXED TRAFFIC CONDITIONS CONSISTING OF FAST AND SLOW MOVING
VEHICLES WITHOUT ANY EFFORT AT SEGREGATION
• HEAVY PEDESTRIAN FLOWS
• OVERCROWDING IN BUSES AND TRAINS
• GROWTH OF INTERMEDIATE PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES
• ENCROACHMENTS ON EXISTING ROAD SPACE AND PEDESTRIAN FOOTPATHS
BY HAWKERS AND VENDORS

23. Traffic congestion
Most cities in Asian countries are experiencing multi-faceted problems as a result of
rapid urbanisation. Urban congestion is one such problem afflicting urban
agglomerations in Asia and has multiple effects on urban economies. Urban congestion
is broadly defined as excess demand for travel over its supply. The presence of
urban congestion prevents free movement of traffic.
With such a rapid increase in urban population, there has been an increase in demand
for mobility, and with it, an increase in motorised vehicle ownership. The vehicle
population in India has been increasing at around 10%.

24. Traffic congestion may results to:
Road Rage
Economic Impact

26. TYPICAL INDIAN
ROAD RAGE
Drivers who become
impatient may be more
likely to drive aggressively
or dangerously. This
contributes to poor health
for those affected by the
stress and puts other
drivers in danger. Road
rage also increases the
danger posed to
emergency workers or
construction crew
members who are working
on the congested road
close to dangerous drivers.

27. Continue..
The causes of traffic congestion are categorised in terms of micro-level factors
and macro-level factors. Most observers argue that the phenomenal increase in
private car ownership and the resulting growth in the number of private vehicles are
responsible for high levels of congestion in cities. However, in comparison to
developed countries, car ownership remains low in most of the developing economies.
As the number of motor vehicles kept in increasing in most Asian cities, policies
initially focused on strengthening the relevant infrastructure to accommodate
increasing numbers of motor vehicles towards facilitating alternate infrastructure for
urban transport in combination with traditional approaches. These policies were
expected to be a way forward to accommodate more vehicles on roads, but led to
further congestion in cities.
However, traffic congestion does not occur only due to increasing level of motorized
vehicles. If that was the case, then cities with low levels of motor vehicles should not
be congested. For instance, in Varanasi in India, traffic flow is slow and causes heavy
congestion. Notably, Varanasi has only 7% of total motorized vehicles in Delhi. It
suggests that congestion also occurs due to mismanagement between demand for
and supply of transport services. These factors may include direct and indirect
elements such as increasing levels of vehicles and a constant level of road
infrastructure, low cost private transport services, psychological factors, lack of
policy interventions, and other factors.

28. Congestion in Indian cities
Traffic congestion in Indian cities is visibly on the rise. This has a detrimental
effect on productivity, air pollution, fuel wastage, health, and quality of life. In the
developed world, traffic congestion has long been recognized as an economic as
well as a social impediment, and detailed studies on the economic aspects of
congestion have been conducted.
The average journey speed in Indian cities is also low, particularly in cities which
have high car volumes. A study commissioned for the Ministry of Urban
Development, Govt. Of India, found that the average journey speed in Delhi was
around 16km/h. The study found the average journey to be below 20km/h in
Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, as well as low in cities with slow moving
vehicles such as Varanasi and Bhubaneswar.
Similarly in Mumbai, congestion on roads is a regular phenomenon. During peak
hour, traffic in Mumbai flows at a speed of 5km/h.

29. The flyover under construction at Banur on the ZirakpurPatiala highway
The road connects Chandigarh to many districts of the Malwa region, including Patiala,
Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Fazilka and some parts of Haryana such as Sirsa. The road is highly
accident-prone owing to heavy traffic flow.

30. Erratic flow of traffic at underpass Chandigarh- Patiala Highway

31. Auto-rickshaws parked on the road in Patiala
Auto-rickshaws continue to choke city roads.
Due to reckless driving and abrupt stoppages of these autos, several accidents takes place on
regular basis.

32. Traffic chaos near bus stand, Patiala
The auto-rickshaws waiting for passengers block the entrance of the bus stand, causing chaos and
making it difficult for buses to enter.

33. Mixed traffic Flow, Bus Stand, Patiala

34. Erratic Flow of Traffic

35. Erratic Flow of Traffic

36. Auto-rickshaws parked haphazardly near the bus stand, Patiala
Auto rickshaws block about half of the carriageway, Bus Stand, Patiala

37. Auto-rickshaws parked haphazardly near the bus stand, Patiala

38. Encroachments on roads and footpaths continue to create traffic woes on
Patiala roads

39. Vendors cause traffic jams
Encroachments go unnoticed- Mata Kaushalya Hospital in Patiala

40. Mixed traffic flow, Patiala

41. These auto-rickshaw drivers hardly follow any rules and stop anywhere in the middle of the
road to get a passenger.

42. Encroachments – Dhaba, Lahori Gate, Patiala

43. Encroachments on either side of road, lahori Gate market, Patiala

44. Encroachments lead to traffic chaos near Mata Kaushalya Hospital, Patiala

45. Sunday market- paralysing the vehicular movement in the entire Chotti Baradari area.
Vendors start putting up their stalls early in the morning. In no time, the area gets crowded
leaving no space for the locals to move.

46. A huge rush at the Sunday market in the Adalat Bazaar, Patiala

47. ADALAT BAZAAR, PATIALA

48. SIRHINDI BAZAAR, PATIALA

49. OLD SABJI MANDI, PATIALA

50. CHURIWALA BAZAAR, PATIALA

51. SUNDAY MARKET , SHAH NASIN CHOWK, PATIALA

52. NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION
• DELAYS
• FUEL WASTAGE
• AIR POLLUTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMMISIONS
• WEAR AND TEAR ON VEHICLES AS A RESULT OF IDLING IN TRAFFIC
AND FREQUENT ACCELERATION AND BRAKING, LEADING TO MORE
FREQUENT REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS.
• STRESSED AND FRUSTRATED MOTORISTS, ENCOURAGING ROAD
RAGE AND REDUCED HEALTH OF MOTORISTS.
• BLOCKED TRAFFIC MAY INTERFERE WITH THE PASSAGE OF
EMERGENCY VEHICLES TRAVELLING TO THEIR DESTINATIONS
WHERE THEY ARE URGENTLY NEEDED.
• HIGHER CHANCE OF COLLISIONS DUE TO TIGHT SPACING AND
CONSTANT STOPPING AND GOING.

53. In response to the above trends, a comprehensive national level
policy to manage congestion in urban areas is being solicited
through policy debates.
Some of the policies which may be expected to ease congestion
include the following:
o Better Integrated Urban Planning
There is a need for integrated transport policies to address problems of
urban transport land urban infrastructure development through an
integrated institutional mechanism.
o Promotion of Public Transport
o Promotion of Intelligent Transport Systems
The above initiatives, together with policies to disincentives private car
vehicles and promote non-motorised transport, will go some way
towards easing congestion in Indian cities.

54. Driver Education and Road Safety
Both large and small cities in India have poor safety standards due to poor
driving behaviour, inadequate driving education and poor standard of driving
tests. As a result, India has around 1% of the total vehicles in the world but
accounts for 18% of the world’s road deaths. As per a national daily, every
sixth accident in the world happens in India. In the year 2010, total death
by road accidents in India was estimated to be 0.23 million out of 1.24 million in
the world. Data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said
that 146,000 people had died in the country in 2015. In other words,
approximately 12 per cent of the world’s road fatalities happen on India’s
roads.
According to a Delhi Traffic Police survey, majority of drunk drivers are
educated, young and familiar with traffic rules. However, their behaviour
while driving is irresponsible. The survey found that more than 85% of
drivers were car drivers. This is again a serious concern for urban safety, as
these drivers are well aware of driving norms but are negligent when it comes
to following such norms.

55. Road Safety Drive, Traffic Police- Patiala

56. While Driving, license is must.

57. Traffic Police issue Challans to the violators, Banur

58. Road safety campaigns at School level, Sahnewal

59. Traffic Safety Clubs, College Level

60. Continue..
The high dependence of migrants on non-motorised transport modes such as
walking and cycling causes traffic mix in common roads where fast-moving
motorised traffic shares the roads with slow-moving modes leading to an
increasing number of fatalities and road accidents. In most Indian cities, non-
motorised modes like cycling and walking presently share the same right of
way as cars and two-wheelers leading to unsafe conditions for all. The number
of fatalities is also increasing in relation to the increasing motorisation and
higher slow-moving vehicles in the traffic stream. Pedestrian fatalities
constitute a significant share of total fatalities. Elderly people and school
children carry a large share of the burden with 23 per cent fatalities and 25 per
cent injuries. The percentage of streets with pedestrian pathways is hardly
30 per cent in most Indian cities. The main reason behind this is inequitable
distribution of road space and the fact that streets in India are not designed
with the intention of accommodating all the functions of a street. Furthermore,
only a part of the right of way is developed leading to unorganised and
unregulated traffic, which is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists

61. More Effective Parking Policies
The acute shortage of parking spaces both on and off the streets in Indian
cities increases the time spent searching for a parking spot and induces
traffic congestion. Available data shows that a high proportion of Indian
streets are faced with on-street parking issue. This problem is especially acute
in smaller, compact Indian cities. Delhi has 14 per cent of road lengths used
for on-street parking while Surat has almost 60 per cent of its road
lengths blocked by on-street parking. On-street parking is perversely
incentivized because it is either free or priced lower than off-street parking.
Even if cities invest in multilevel car parks in prime areas, the parking rates are
not expected to recover the costs.
In Delhi, the public parking charges are fixed as low as Rs10 for 8 hours during
the daytime when it should be at least Rs40 per hour.
Increasing parking charges is not the only remedy for congestion. The evolving
nature of parking policy has an impact on reducing travel demand, but it is one
of the least effective measures which is not able to control the rising demand
for private car travel.

62. Continue..
The main issue with parking policies in cities is the informal and rent-
seeking characteristics of parking areas. In most Indian cities,
parking is still unorganised and not systematic. A variance in rates
on parking lots can also be seen at different places. Another important
aspect related to parking is that Indian cities have the lowest parking
charges compared to other cities in the developing and developed
world. An estimate indicates that Indian cities have around 13 times
lower parking charges than Hong Kong, China, and more than 20 times
lower parking charges than Singapore.
Road accessibility is not smooth because it is given for car
parking, which increases the level of congestion.

64. Illegal car parking lot running at Bahera Road, Patiala

65. Vehicles parked illegally blocks the roadway near lahori gate, Patiala

66. Qila chowk, Patiala
Commuters are seen parking their vehicles in a ill mannered way. A cycle is seen parked
on the road outside the Qila Mubarak, Patiala

67. Erratic flow

68. Arbitrary parking of two wheeler automobiles, Mall Road, Patiala

69. Parking on the road , 22 No. Phatak, Patiala

70. Unmannered Parking Practices, Sai Market, Patiala

71. Cars parked along the roads, Baradari Gardens, Patiala

72. Unmannered Parking Practices near AC Market , Patiala

73. Illegal parking along the roads, Maharashtra, India

74. Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Inter State Bus Terminal, Ludhiana
The ill-practice of parking autos at the flyover near the bus stand has become a norm. In their
quest to ferry more and more passengers, these auto-rickshaws are posing a threat for
commuters.

76. Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Inter State Bus Terminal, Ludhiana
The ill-practice of parking autos at the flyover near the bus stand has become a norm. In their
quest to ferry more and more passengers, these auto-rickshaws are posing a threat for
commuters.

77. Rotary Intersection – Fountain Chowk, Patiala

80. Fountain Chowk, Patiala

81. Violation of traffic lights posing danger to law abiding citizens,
Sheran Wala Gate, Patiala

82. T- intersection, Punjabi University, Patiala - Erratic Flow

83. A bus, which went out of control in Patiala
When the bus, which was returning from Nabha, arrived in the middle of the bus stand flyover,
its brakes failed and the driver lost control over it. The slide of the flyover added to its speed
and the bus first collided with a mini-truck from behind. The bus took the truck along with it and
the vehicle rammed into a bike and two scooters and a Dzire and a Scorpio. Both cars were
damaged in the accident. Passengers in the bus and drivers of cars escaped unhurt. The bikes
were however, completely damaged as the bus ran over them. However, bike drivers suffered
injuries as they fell off the vehicles. However, there was no casualty.

85. Traffic Bottlenecks
A traffic bottleneck is a localized disruption of vehicular traffic on a
street, road, or highway. As opposed to a traffic jam, a bottleneck is a
result of a specific physical condition, often the design of the road,
badly timed traffic lights, or sharp curves. They can also be caused by
temporary situations, such as vehicular accidents.
Traffic bottlenecks are caused by a wide variety of things:
o Construction zones where one or more existing lanes become
unavailable
o Accident sites that temporarily close lanes
o Narrowing a low-capacity highway road
o Terrain (e.g., uphill sections, very sharp curves)
o Poorly timed traffic lights
o Slow vehicles that disrupt upstream traffic flow upstream

86. Unmanned barricades create traffic bottlenecks
A visit to YPS Chowk is enough to check the state of hapless commuters as unattended barricades
have been set up on both sides of the road. Due to the barricades, when students return from
schools, huge traffic jams are witnessed on the roads.

87. Chaos at the Urban Estate Chowk situated on the Rajpura road in Patiala
The situation worsens during the peak morning and evening hours when traffic from the Urban
Estate and the main road converges at the intersection.

88. Bottleneck, lahori gate, Patiala

89. Anardana Chowk, Patiala
Stray cattle are a common site on Patiala roads. The menace of stray cattle in the city had turned
into a nightmare for residents in view of the rising number of accidents caused by them.

91. Bharat Nagar Chowk, Ferozepur Road
Bharat Nagar Chowk is located close to the Interstate Bus Terminal, Mini-Secretariat, Government
College for Girls and railway station. A large number of commuters daily visit bus stand, railway
station. Apart from this, all prominent government office are located near the chowk. Long
queues of vehicles can be seen at the chowk throughout the day.

92. Potholed roads nightmare for Panchkula residents

93. Janata gaddhe mein…

94. Traffic jams – New Delhi

95. Traffic congestion, New Delhi

96. Across the seven metros, the worst traffic bottlenecks are faced in Domulur and Silk
Board in Bengaluru, Park Street and Shyambazaar in Kolkata, Charminar in Hyderabad,
and Powai and Saki Naka in Mumbai. Between 9am and 12 noon, when most people
travel to their offices, the average speed remains at 19kmph. The lowest average speed
stands at just 18kmph, when commuters return home, between 6pm and 9pm.

98. Kali Devi Temple, Mall road, Patiala

99. LOCATION: KALI DEVI TEMPLE, MALL ROAD, PATIALA

100. TABULAR REPRESENTATION – SPOT SPEED
LOCATION: KALI DEVI TEMPLE, MALL ROAD, PATIALA
VEHICLE CLASS
SPOT SPEED
STRETCH 1 (1:00 PM) STRETCH 2 (7:30 PM)
MPS KMPH MPS KMPH
AUTO RICKSHAW 5.55 20 5.06 18.21
CAR 5.31 19.14 5.0 18.0
TWO WHEELER 6.79 24.45 6.21 22.36
PEDAL CYCLE 3.12 11.2 2.5 9.0
BUS 6.25 22.5 4.16 15.0

101. Spot Speed Study - Kali Devi Temple, Mall Road Patiala
The lowest average speed stands at just 18kmph, when commuters
return home, between 6pm and 9pm on Mall Road, Patiala. (cars)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
AUTO CAR TWO
WHEELER
PEDAL CYCLE BUS
1.00 PM
7.30 PM

102. TABULAR REPRESENTATION – SPOT SPEED
LOCATION: OUTSIDE BUS STAND, PATIALA
VEHICLE CLASS
SPOT SPEED
STRETCH 1 (10:30 AM) STRETCH 2 (6:30 PM)
MPS KMPH MPS KMPH
AUTO RICKSHAW 4.57 16.46 4.32 15.58
CAR 6.93 25.01 5.81 20.93
TWO WHEELER 7.44 26.78 6.60 23.77
TRUCK 5.24 18.88 4.54 16.36
BUS 6.95 25.03 6.25 22.50

103. Spot Speed Study – Outside Bus Stand, Patiala
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
CAR TWO
WHEELER
BUS AUTO
RICKSHAW
TRUCK
10.30 AM
6.30 PM
The highest average speed stands at just 25kmph for cars and buses in morning.
While the lowest average speed is 20 kmph between 6pm and 9pm outside Bus Stand,
Patiala for cars.

105. VEHICLE
CLASS
VOLUME
(15 MINUTES)
VOLUME
(24 HOURS)
EQUIVAL
ENCY
FACTOR
PCU COUNT
1:00 PM 7:30 PM 1:00 PM 7:30 PM 1:00 PM 7:30 PM
Car 78 153 7488 14688 1.0 7488 14688
Two
Wheeler 110 212 10560 20352 0.4 4224 8141
Auto
Rickshaw 80 115 7680 11040 0.5 3840 5520
Bus 32 28 3072 2688 2.2 6758 5914
Pedal
Cycle 17 31 1632 2976 0.7 1142 2083
PCU Count- Kali Devi Temple, Mall Road Patiala

106. VEHICLE
CLASS
VOLUME
(15 MINUTES)
VOLUME
(24 HOURS)
EQUIVAL
ENCY
FACTOR
PCU COUNT
10:30AM 6:30 PM 10:30AM 6:30 PM 10:30AM 6:30 PM
Car 265 334 22440 32064 1.0 22440 32064
Two
Wheeler 180 235 17280 22560 0.4 6912 9024
Auto
Rickshaw 32 45 3072 4320 0.5 1536 2160
Bus 42 53 4032 5088 2.2 8870 11194
Truck 15 22 1440 2112 2.2 3168 4646
PCU Count- Outside Bus Stand, Patiala

107. ROAD SAFETY – INDIA’S BIGGEST
EMERGING CHALLENGE
India with just 1% of the vehicular population accounts for 10% of
the Road Fatalities. With its size, population, diversity,
urbanization and motorization; Road Safety is the biggest
emerging challenge.
ROAD SAFETY - INDIA’S BIGGEST
EMERGING CHALLENGE

108. TRAFFIC SAFETY JAGGI SWEETS,
PUNJABI BAGH,
PATIALA

146. Request to all the parents to not to allow their children in school ride
bikes, scooters or drive cars.
Your child’s life is more precious than your child’s demands.
Lower Mall Road, Patiala