Even in the midst of a traffic nightmare, why cops managing the mess deserve our consideration

Delhi-NCR residents are no strangers to snaking traffic, especially when it rains — with bikers seeking shelter under flyovers creating a roadblock and waterlogging slowing movement — or whenever a festival, the wedding season, or a big-ticket event, rally or protest pushes up the number of commuters on the roads.

In September, amidst heavy rains, a traffic snarl spread for kilometres along the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway reportedly saw 200 distress calls being made to the Gurugram Traffic Police helpline in a span of a few hours. In April, arrangements made for a visit by US Vice President JD Vance and his family to New Delhi had reportedly choked up key roads connecting the capital to Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad, during the morning office hour rush.

The national capital has not been the only Indian city to face such maddening chaos on the roads. In February, heavy congestion on the Bangaluru-Bellary Road during an Aero India air show saw vehicles being stranded for hours, with many headed to the event reportedly missing it. In March, students travelling to exam centres in Bengaluru’s Whitefield and Yelahanka faced delays after a pile-up on the Outer Ring Road and Ballari Road. Some reached after the exam had started.

In the international TomTom Traffic Index 2025, three Indian cities — were ranked among the top five slowest globally in 2024 in terms of average traffic movement speed. Hyderabad was in 18th spot, Chennai ranked 31 in a list of 500 cities from across the world. Surprisingly, New Delhi fared much better, ranked at 122.

Understandably, spending hours in such a traffic gridlock can make the most patient of us lose our cool; incidents of road rage among frustrated commuters are not unheard of. But what of the men and women in uniform managing this ever-increasing chaos on our city streets daily?

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“When we’re on the road, we face vehicular pollution directly and in our effort to clear traffic jams, we have to deal with all kinds of people — sometimes arguments, sometimes outright misbehavior. We have to manage every kind of situation,” said a traffic cop in New Delhi, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A traffic police officer in Hyderabad cited an example. ““Recently, a drunk motorist stole a breath analyzer device. In another incident, a drunk driver assaulted a traffic policeman,” said the officer posted in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills traffic police post.

The job requires traffic police personnel to brave downpours, scorching summers and bone-chilling winters in the open.

“We have to stand in ankle-deep water for several hours. During the festive season, everyone wants to move faster and blames us for traffic congestion. Near bus and rail stations, we have to clear the crowd constantly. Sometimes, when ambulances get stuck in the crowd, we make efforts to clear the way. Many vehicles take advantage of that, speeding after the ambulance to get ahead of others,” said M Kumar, a traffic police inspector in Chennai.

According to CEIC data, the number of registered motor vehicles in India grew from 28,860.000 Unit th (unit thousand) in December 2015 to 45,687.000 Unit th in December 2020. A Council of Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) analysis suggests the number of on-road vehicles in India will more than double from the 2023 figure of 226 million to touch nearly 295 million in 2050. In comparison, the total length of surfaced roads in India went up from 35,01,906 km in March 2016 to 41,29,448 Km in 2019-20, according to government data.

Urban planners insist that effective management of India’s increasing on-road traffic must include attention to street design and public transport integration.

“We have to reclaim pavements, clear encroachments, expand the bus and suburban rail network, and allocate adequate resources to the traffic police. Traffic congestion is not a one-day issue. It’s the result of a cyclic failure of a poor public transport network,” said K. Sumathi, an urban planner based in Chennai. While Sumathi was talking more specifically of the condition in Chennai, the advice would hold true for most cities in the country.

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Meanwhile, traffic cops cite a manpower crunch as a major challenge in handling the increasing traffic volumes on roads.

According to reports, Bengaluru added approximately 7.22 lakh new vehicles in 2024–25, including 4.68 lakh two-wheelers and 1.45 lakh cars. This pushed the total vehicle count in the city to nearly 1.23 crore, up from 1.16 crore the previous year.

However, when it comes to the force to man this increasing traffic, the city is grappling with a significant manpower gap. Against a sanctioned strength of 5,645 personnel, the actual strength is reportedly 4,792, leaving 853 posts vacant. The traffic cop–to–vehicle ratio stands at roughly 1:2,303, against the recommended 1:700 for large metros, reports claim.

"The number of vehicles has multiplied, but our manpower and infrastructure haven’t kept pace. We stand for hours in pollution and heat, handling impatient drivers who often take out their frustration on us. What we need most is respect — and more people on the ground," said a traffic police inspector in Bengaluru, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The problem is not unique to the Karnataka capital.

“On paper, we’re more than 5,500 strong,” said a senior officer in Kolkata, who did not want to be named. “But when you factor in personnel on leave or on special assignments, the number of officers actually available on the streets is significantly lower.”

As of October 2025, the Kolkata Traffic Police is functioning at approximately 80 per cent of its sanctioned strength, with many key beat posts heavily reliant on contractual civic police volunteers, sources told The Federal. To bridge the gap, especially during periods of expected traffic highs, the department draws additional personnel from the broader Kolkata Police force. For instance, during Durga Puja this year, nearly 30 per cent of the force’s total strength, over 37,000 personnel, was deployed to manage traffic and control crowds, the sources added.

According to estimates by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), the number of vehicles in the city surged from 2,03,100 in 2011 to 23,71,915 in 2024. Kolkata now has the highest vehicular density among all Indian metros, with 2,448 vehicles per kilometre of road.

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Technology has brought some relief.

With the introduction of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), Chennai traffic police is integrating live data from over 300 junctions to improve emergency response and give commuters advanced warnings about congestion. Officials said that as part of ITMS, adaptive signalling will be set up at 165 junctions to facilitate the quick movement of vehicles along the roads. “After that is fully implemented, traffic lights will change based on the number of vehicles on certain stretches. This system will also detect vehicles that violate speed limits. Red light violation detection systems will be installed at 50 major junctions,” said the officials.

In Bengaluru, while AI cameras have strengthened enforcement — recording 1.43 crore violations between January and August 2024 — on-ground management remains under strain.

“Earlier, our main task was to control traffic manually. Now, with cameras and digital monitoring, our role has become more complex — we manage technology, handle road rage, and also deal with social media scrutiny. The system has evolved, but the pressure on us has doubled, Rajesh Kumar, a traffic police personnel, told The Federal.

According to Karthik Reddy, joint commissioner, Bengaluru Traffic Police, AI-based traffic signals have been installed at over 125 junctions across the city. “This has helped ease congestion at several major intersections.”

The senior officer explained that the AI-based signals are designed to work in coordination with each other. Since they operate in real time, the duration of red and green lights is automatically adjusted based on traffic flow — reducing both waiting time and congestion. The system is monitored through a centralised traffic management centre.

“However, traffic bottlenecks have increased in some areas — especially along the Outer Ring Road — due to unscientific entry and exit routes. The lack of adequate pedestrian foot overbridges has also contributed to the problem. A detailed study on this has been submitted to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and letters have been sent to the agency recommending the construction of over 70 pedestrian bridges,” Reddy added.

Mumbai currently has over 47 lakh registered vehicles, while more than 8 lakh enter the city daily through its six main entry points. To improve enforcement, the traffic police are preparing a proposal to introduce an intelligent traffic management system that will use artificial intelligence for real-time monitoring and automated challan generation.

Talking to The Federal, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), Anil Kumbhare, said, “Managing traffic in a rapidly expanding city like Mumbai is a constant balancing act. Enforcement through artificial intelligence will greatly benefit the city. We plan to use AI-based analytics for improved traffic prediction, quicker responses during congestion, and automated violation enforcement. This technology will enable us to manage the city’s traffic more effectively in the years ahead.”

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Experts, however, caution that technology needs to be used correctly to ease both traffic congestion and the burden it creates on traffic police personnel.

“Often the feed received from cameras installed on the road is used to manage traffic only at intersections, instead of at the corridor level, which is what will actually help clear bottlenecks,” said Amit Bhatt, India managing director of the International Council of Clean Transportation.

According to Ashish Verma, a professor in the civil engineering department of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, police personnel should not have the responsibility of traffic management at all.

“There are two parts to handling urban traffic — traffic management and law enforcement. For the police, their core expertise is law enforcement,” Verma said. For traffic management, Verma suggests the creation of a separate agency of urban transport cadre. “Police personnel don’t have any formal training in traffic management, which is a broad subject involving engineering, transportation planning, road infrastructure development etc. Traffic management needs a scientific approach, including simulation, modelling and engineering,” he added.

Police personnel forward their own ideas of what could improve the on-road situation and ease the burden on them.

“Better coordination between departments, real-time traffic updates, and stricter action against repeat offenders could make a big difference. Most importantly, awareness among drivers about following rules would ease half our problems,” said a woman traffic cop in Bengaluru on condition of anonymity.

The days following Diwali saw a sudden easing of traffic in Delhi, as the long holiday weekend, followed by Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj, kept many at home or away from the city.

“Delhi is the capital of the country — you’ll find people here from every corner of India. During major festivals like Diwali, people from across the country come to visit their relatives and friends. At that time, you can assume that the city will see heavier traffic for eight to ten days,” said a traffic police personnel in the national capital who did not want to be named.

As the relief of the following days draws to a close, NCR, and most cities in the country, will be bracing for a Monday mayhem as offices and schools reopen post the Diwali break. For those who have to spend longer than anticipated time on the commute, a glance at the traffic personnel at the intersection, who would definitely be spending many more hours on the road than any commuter, may help ease the frustration.

(With inputs from Abhishek Rawat in New Delhi, Samir K Purkayastha in Kolkata, Pramila Krishnan in Chennai, Perneet Singh in Maharashtra, Saleem Shaik in Hyderabad and Chandrappa M in Bengaluru)