The Pursuit of Happiness in an Urban Jungle
Happiness – that elusive goal of most human endeavour! Doctors and new age gurus flood our timelines with sure-fire ways of finding happiness. Their good advice notwithstanding, the NHMS survey reports that 1 in 20 Indians suffers from or has suffered from depressive disorders at some point in their lives. In fact, according to the World Happiness Report, India ranks low in happiness at 118 out of 147 countries.
On one particularly frustrating morning, feeling depressed on my way to work in an auto that moved by the inch, I wondered: could there be a correlation between happiness and traffic?
Does Traffic Steal Our Joy?
Sure enough, I found that the countries that rank high on happiness rank low on the traffic index. The traffic index is a measure of various aspects of a city’s traffic, such as commute time, dissatisfaction with time spent in traffic, and CO₂ emissions. These parameters rely on data collected from users and although it is not an official source, it provides a realistic picture in real time of a city’s traffic condition.
India’s traffic index of 204.6—among the highest globally—is reflected in cities like Kolkata, Bangalore, and Pune, ranked among the ten slowest worldwide. On the other hand, Finland and Denmark, which are among the happiest countries in the world, have much lower traffic indices (78.3 and 85.6 respectively) as well as a robust and well-connected public transport system. While correlation does not mean causation ( a well known research adage), does data support that solving the nation’s traffic woes can go at least in some part to creating happier Indians?
Traffic Blues: Mental Health on the Move
A study examining the relationship between daily commutes and mental health in 11 Latin American cities reveals some rather obvious patterns. Long commute times, traffic delays, vehicular congestion, and poor access to public transport are linked to higher probabilities of depression.
Conversely, it was not only found that commuters using public transport systems are linked to lower probabilities of depression, but also that solving traffic congestion and expanding public transport actually led to mental health benefits.
India’s Urban Commute: A Daily Struggle
The situation in our metros is untenable! Indian commuters spend 7% of their day commuting to work, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group. Mumbai and Bangalore were found to move at an average speed of 19 km/hr. Bangalore’s situation is truly horrific with a daily gridlock of more than 1600 km that causes vehicles to move so slowly that upto 3 litres of fuel are consumed to move a paltry 1.5 km. I will leave it to the reader to do the math of how much this costs the commuter. The fastest moving city is Chennai, at a sluggish rate of 25.7 km/hr - little cause for celebration.
The Health Toll of Traffic Congestion:
Children and the Commute Crisis
How often have we noticed the bored, tired faces of children in buses as early as 7 am for an 8:30 start of school? And the same as late as 5:30 pm too?
Long, congested commutes affect children's health in many ways. Firstly, their play time is cut down, which could result in becoming overweight. They also sleep less, resulting in a constant sense of exhaustion. Being exposed to traffic also means that they are exposed to polluted air.
CAG’s study in congested school zones in Chennai found that air pollution exceeds WHO’s safe limits both during school drop-off and pick-up times. With many of our schools being located alongside main roads or in heavily congested areas, this exposure to polluted air continues even within the confines of the school and its classrooms, providing no escape from the very real dangers of respiratory infections, asthma, cognitive issues, along with a range of chronic health problems.
Noise, Learning, and Cognitive Load
Spending long hours exposed to the honking of cars and the unrelenting drone of traffic leads to a range of health impacts, from cardiac issues to depression and anxiety.
In fact a study conducted as far back as 1973 found that students in classrooms located on the side of the building exposed to noisy roads were poorer readers than those located on the quieter side of the building, thus indicating the toll that noise exposure makes on learning and language abilities of children. (Adding to the long list of “things we knew about but did nothing to prevent”)
Stress, Hormones, and Overall Well-being
Rajni Kumar, an educator and mental health therapist interviewed for this article, says:
“Navigating traffic and congested commutes on a daily basis can significantly add to our overall stress levels. The loud noises, and the frustration of inching traffic can create tension in our nervous system, causing us to feel revved up and overwhelmed. This often spills out into other aspects of our lives, especially relationships. Stress hormones like cortisol are secreted to more than normal levels in our bodies, adversely impacting our physical health as well.”
Government figures agree as well—according to MoRTH, the total number of accidents caused by road rage and rash driving in 2021 stood at 2,15,000! One simply has to connect the dots - stress, frustration as well as poor road conditions and traffic congestion leads to heightened anger and road rage which can be addressed through traffic calming measures such as speed humps and roundabouts.
Clearing the Congestion
With government will and cooperation from the related agencies, our roads can become clutter free and less polluted along with reducing the time taken for daily commutes. The way ahead is to:
Prioritise the health of children and create safe school zones that provide a safe and healthy route to school.
While many Indian cities have staggered timings for schools and offices to reduce street congestion, these are only short term solutions. Long term strategies include strengthening public transport while also ensuring last mile connectivity. India already has a model of 15 minute cities like in Paris. However, while Paris has heavily invested in pedestrian and cycle paths, Indian cities do not prioritise pedestrians - even within these 15 minute neighbourhoods, thus making it inconvenient to not use the car, even for small distances.
Incentivizing work from home plays a dual role in both relieving anxiety and reducing pollution and congestion on the roads.
Taxing private car users, increasing parking fares will go a long way in discouraging private car use - but this is possible only when there is a reliable alternative in place.
Rethinking Development: A Happier, Healthier Road Ahead
A healthy population is vital for a healthy economy—and a state of calm contentment is necessary to be both physically and mentally well. Countries that score high on happiness consistently offer open spaces, safe paths for walking and cycling, and excellent public transport, reminding us that urban planning must prioritize people’s well-being over car traffic. Bangalore’s notorious traffic jams, apart from offering up meme material, cost the nation a very serious loss of Rs 20 crore every year, thus showing that good road management is tied to profits in monetary terms as well as human health. In a Business Today article, Radhika Gupa, CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management Company points out that commuters in Mumbai spend upto 3-4 hours a day traveling to work and that better infrastructure is critical to developing a more productive economy.
Perhaps the road to development lies not in widening roads for more cars or building more flyovers and high-speed highways, but in centering people instead of cars while designing cities. Placing the physical and mental health of people in the front and centre of all city planning is a crucial element of building a vibrant economy and a healthy future.
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