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Over the past 12 years, I have been thinking about this very question, every time I am stuck in traffic at Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.
Over these years, I have witnessed the development of Cyber Hub, Aero city, Malls, and even better roads. However, one thing that’s constant is the commuting time which continues to remain around 3-4 hours per day due to hefty traffic. During festive months, or if there is an unfortunate accident or VVIP movement, it has taken more than 2 hours (one way) in the morning to reach the office by cabs or private vehicle. Going by these numbers, nearly 20 hours per week (5 working days) is being spent on roads by many employees travelling to Gurgaon from Delhi, Faridabad, Noida, and Ghaziabad.
Total work time calculation including commuting time
Office Hours at work – 45 hours (assuming 9 hour per day for 5 days a week)
Commuting time to Gurgaon from Delhi (both ways) – ~20 hours (5 days a week)
Total time spent on work in a week – ~45 hours + ~20 hours = ~65 work hours per week
The above calculated figure is very close to Mr. Narayana Murthy’s appeal from job-oriented people to target a 70 hour work week.
In 2024, despite many companies offering work from home policy on alternative days, the traffic it seems will have worsened in comparison to pre-pandemic levels. A key reason for the rising traffic is substantial increase in the number of cars on the roads. In 2023, nearly 1,800 vehicles were sold per day in Delhi which comes out to be ~6.6 lakh vehicles (highest in last 5 years).
Some people do suggest moving closer to your workplace, but in Gurgaon with rising rentals and sale prices of home/flat reaching an all-time high, it is nearly unaffordable for a middle-class person working at low to mid-level in a MNC. Gurgaon is now being ranked as the second most expensive city in India, with a cost of living index of 26.9.
Below are some ideas or thoughts that may be taken into consideration in the long-term to ease the situation.
- MNCs offices could be spread across Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad. This would allow people to work from the office that is closer to their homes.
- Offices may provide options of alternative shifts or flexible working hours that would allow an employee to travel during lean traffic hours during the day.
- Creating an alternative road for cabs or cars travelling to airports (all terminals) and Aerocity. There are a large number of cabs on the same road to Gurgaon but are travelling to airports, hence traffic gets merged.
The above mentioned suggestions are definitely not full proof, and there are many factors like feasibility, cost, availability of land and among others that needs to be taken into consideration. But a long-term solution is needed where stakeholders like government authorities, corporates/MNCs and real estate developers must work collectively on solutions to ease traffic situations. I can assure that it would add on to the employee satisfaction levels, reduce road rage, and give back precious time to lakhs of employees which then can be utilized productively either in the gym, or pursuing a passion or just spending more time with family and friends.
Sources for the article numbers
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