Whenever I travel through Delhi NCR or another major Indian city during peak hours, I ask myself a simple question: how much of our working life is being spent merely reaching work?
The latest TomTom Traffic Index, based on 2025 data, estimates that a driver making two 10-kilometre rush-hour journeys each working day lost 168 hours to congestion in Bengaluru during the year. For New Delhi, the estimate was 104 hours. In Bengaluru, the average 10-kilometre journey took 36 minutes and 9 seconds, while the rush-hour average speed was only 13.9 km/h.
These numbers should be treated as traffic estimates, not as a claim that every delayed hour is completely unproductive. People may take calls or listen to useful content while travelling. Even so, a long, uncertain commute consumes energy, disrupts schedules and leaves less time for family, exercise and rest.
As an entrepreneur, I see congestion as more than a road problem. It affects punctuality, employee morale, delivery planning, customer meetings and the cost of doing business. A city may attract investment through offices and infrastructure, but if daily movement becomes exhausting, part of that advantage is quietly lost.
The answer cannot be only more flyovers. We need dependable public transport, better last-mile links, disciplined parking, coordinated road works and business districts planned closer to housing. Employers can also stagger timings, use hybrid work where practical and avoid making every meeting an in-person meeting.
I have earlier written about why walkable cities improve business and quality of life. The same principle applies here: urban development should reduce unnecessary movement, not force everyone into longer journeys.
In my view, productive time is a national asset. When millions of people lose hours in traffic every week, the cost is not limited to fuel. It is paid through fatigue, missed opportunities and a lower quality of everyday life. Our metro cities must measure success not only by how much they build, but by how easily people can move.
Sources and context
Traffic figures are from TomTom’s Bengaluru 2025 city report and its 2025 global ranking. The business and planning conclusions are my personal perspective.
— Tushar Kumar