Traffic congestion
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
Traffic congestion happens when the road network cannot handle the traffic on it, so roads jam. It is a constant problem in big cities. Traffic peaks in the rush hours before and after work, and drops (troughs) at other times of the day. NCERT suggests several fixes:
- higher parking fees;
- mass rapid transit, meaning high-capacity metro rail and bus rapid transit (BRT);
- better buses;
- expressways.
Beyond NCERT, some cities use congestion pricing, which charges drivers a fee to enter crowded central areas.
Example
Indian cities such as Ahmedabad face heavy rush-hour jams, so Ahmedabad built the Janmarg BRT, in which buses run in their own lanes. London began congestion pricing in 2003, and Singapore and New York (2025) also use it.
Related concepts
- Pack animals
- Ropeways and cableways
- Road transport
- Metalled and unmetalled roads
- Motorways
- Mass rapid transit