This document discusses solutions to reducing traffic congestion. It notes that congestion increases travel time and costs, wastes fuel, and negatively impacts the environment and public health. Widening roads can help reduce congestion by increasing flow of vehicles. Calculations show that for a single stretch of congested road, the extra annual fuel costs due to delays could be over $255,000. Many of these costs are recurring. Removing obstructions like shops, houses, and encrowachments along the road, estimated to be worth $150,000, could eliminate the recurring extra fuel costs by widening the road. Crowdfunding and corporate social responsibility programs are suggested to fund buying out and removing the obstructions.

1. Reducing Traffic Congestion
A Solution

2. What traffic congestion does
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Reduces vehicle speed
Increases travel time
Reducing flow of vehicles
Increases Queue Length
Increase chances of traffic jams
Wastage of fuel
Negative impact on environment
Negative impact on health due to pollution
Increases frustration
Adds avoidable costs to individuals , states and country
Recurring traffic congestion leads to recurring costs as well as raises the demand for fuel
For the same traffic ,wider roads help in reducing traffic congestion
Width of roads within city is influenced by the infrastructure along the roads

3. Rough Calculation of Costs
An Example
Petrol Price = Rs 80 / ltr ,Running average= 20km/ltr
Therefore Cost/ km = Rs 80/20 = Rs 4
Assuming 10 km travel (both ways)
In Obstruction free Traffic (with traffic signals)
Non productive time of 30 mins will cost Rs 40 (and no income
during travel)
In Traffic congestion (with traffic signals)
Non productive time of 40 mins will cost Rs 40+ ? (extra cost) (and
no income during travel)
Inconveniences : Delay or Missing important meeting/events , avoidable apologies ,
emergency challenges for patients, late start/end of planned events impacting many people,
postponing/cancelling planned events, little time for other activities/work , increased vehicle
maintenance etc.

4. Rough Calculation of Costs contd..
Assuming a flow of 1000 vehicles/hour on a given stretch
(Unobstructed movement)
Assuming 10 mins of extra time (in Traffic congestion) costs an
additional Rs 5 / vehicle
So 10 mins of extra time for 1000 vehicles to cost – Rs5000 (extra
costs)
Assuming same traffic 14 hours, the total costs per day – 5000*14 – Rs
70,000 (extra costs)
For 365 days – Rs 2,55,50,000 (extra costs)
(i.e. total extra cost of fuel purchased annually by the travelling
community using a particular stretch of road on daily basis)
These extra costs are recurring annually
Note:-Health and environment related costs are not being considered
in this example. Neither is potential loss of income.
Can these additional costs be minimised or eliminated ?

5. Recurring costs
Shops
Encroachments
Houses
Physical constraints
creating congestion and
reducing flow of vehicles
Assuming overall 100 feet length and 10 feet width of obstructing area – 1000 square feet
Assuming market price of Rs 15000 per square feet for shops, houses and encroachments
on a particular stretch of road
Total value of shops, houses, encroachments etc.= Rs 1,50,00,000
Whereas Total annual recurring fuel costs = Rs 2,55,50,000 (extra)
Removing the obstructions should removes the annual recurring extra fuel costs

6. A Solution
Buying out and running down the obstructing constructions
and handing over the freed space to city authorities for
road widening
– By Individuals
– By Companies under Corporate Social Responsibility
– By citizen groups ,NGOs etc
– Through crowd sourcing
 Space along the length of roads can be used for putting up
advertisements to recover some or all the costs
 Certain entities can use crowd sourcing to build a fund that can
be utilised for road widening projects
 Even local market associations can come together to fund the
road widening if the accessibility to their shops and offices is
found to improve after doing the same
Overall any time saved makes more time available to do other things
Also reduces the burden on pocket ,health , environment and mind
Nation too benefits