India’s urban traffic crisis is worsening, and the government is banking on a familiar solution: ring roads. With projects worth thousands of crores launched across states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the push to build bypasses and circular expressways is gaining momentum. While these projects promise decongested cities, the real question is—will they help the average commuter or just serve industrial and elite interests?
Earlier this year, the Uttar Pradesh government announced an investment of ?6,124 crore for the construction of 62 ring roads, bypasses, and flyovers across the state. The goal is to reduce inner-city congestion and streamline regional travel by allowing heavy and non-local traffic to bypass urban cores.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari unveiled a ?15,000 crore project aimed at building a ring road network connecting Maharashtra and Karnataka, bypassing Goa to relieve pressure on national highways.
These moves reflect a broader national trend. Cities like Pune, Delhi, and Guntur are also either initiating or completing ring road projects, with the aim of relieving chronic congestion and improving intercity logistics.
However, for daily wage earners, gig workers, and low-income commuters who rely on affordable public transport, the direct benefits of ring roads are limited. While these roads may improve citywide traffic flow and reduce delays, they do little to address their core mobility needs unless bus and shared transit systems are integrated into the new infrastructure.
Worse, many such projects result in displacement. The construction of the Guntur Inner Ring Road, stalled for over a decade, resumed only after clearing land encroachments and compensating affected residents—most of them from economically weaker sections. Similarly, land acquisition in urban fringes often forces families to relocate without adequate compensation or rehabilitation.
This raises concerns about who is paying the price for development. While contractors, real estate developers, and logistics firms often benefit handsomely from such projects, the working poor are left with little beyond promises of better infrastructure.
There is no denying that improved road networks can boost regional economies. Easier movement of goods reduces costs for businesses and opens up land for industrial development.
The Pune Ring Road, for instance, is expected to open up 29 new growth centers around the city, encouraging investment and job creation. However, economic gains from such infrastructure are often concentrated. Without policies that ensure affordable housing, job access, and public services near new road corridors, the benefits will bypass those who need them most.
Another major concern is the lack of integration between ring road projects and urban planning frameworks. In most Indian cities, infrastructure is built first, with planning left to follow or never arrive. This disjointed approach leads to urban sprawl, car dependency, and long-term environmental costs.
Ring roads could be a powerful urban planning tool if used to guide transit-oriented development and support public transportation systems. Instead, they’re often built as standalone projects, maximizing vehicular movement without considering sustainability or inclusivity.
Abundance of Highways but No Respite for Public Transit Commuters in Sight
At first glance, ring roads appear to benefit everyone—less traffic, faster commutes, and better logistics. But scratch the surface, and a different picture emerges. The bulk of the direct advantages, like reduced fuel costs, time savings, and real estate windfalls, tend to accrue to private vehicle owners, freight companies, and developers.
For those on the margins, like the daily wage earner commuting on a cycle, the migrant worker living on the outskirts, and the child walking to school, the gains are far less certain.
These are the people who live closest to the construction dust but furthest from its promises. Without careful planning that prioritizes affordable transit, job opportunities, fair compensation, and social protections, this wave of development is more likely to bypass them than uplift their lives. Infrastructure should not be about concrete and speed alone; it should be about people.
If ring roads are to genuinely serve the cities they surround, their planning must start with the needs of people, not just traffic patterns. Until then, the answer to “who benefits?” may remain one-sided and India’s traffic solutions could come at the cost of those with the least to gain.
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