Traffic is back in cities, says Laqshya Media study on travel time

The study conducted by Laqshya Media on travel time across 9 Indian cities over 60 days shows traffic volumes growing again in most cities, indicating greater opportunities for brand presence in the OOH Media.

Laqshya Media group has done a comprehensive study on travel times in the top 9 cities of India between April 8, 2021 and June 30,  2021, the group said in a statement.

While all cities recorded the lowest congestion between April 19 and May 16 due to the second lockdown, with the easing of lockdowns pan India, people are now out on the road again, leading to increase in traffic jams, shows the  study.

Some of the study findings show:

• Mumbai and Pune are back to or have exceeded the congestion index of March 2021. Mumbai has seen a ~75% increase in travel times from the lockdown lows. Pune’s traffic shows an evident increase seen in the mornings, especially due to lockdown restrictions in the evenings.
• Delhi is currently at an index of 84% of peak. The roads have seen an increase in time and a huge jump in density.
• Bengaluru is also back with WFH getting over for most companies. Travel time from Yeswanthpur to Indiranagar has shown an incredible increase of ~80% both in the mornings and evenings.
• Hyderabad has seen an increase of ~45% in traffic numbers.
• Patna has also recorded 20% increase in traffic.
• Kolkata’s traffic is on its way to pre-lockdown numbers.
• Bhubaneshwar’s traffic is also returning to normal. There is an increase of ~15% in traffic in both mornings and evenings.

Atul Shrivastava, CEO, Laqshya Media Group says, speaking about the study observation, “Travel time is the most ‘visible’ indicator of traffic. As suggested by the data in the report, travel times are back to, or have exceeded, pre-lockdown numbers! Everyone is waiting for things to get back to normal and with lockdown restrictions easing pan-India people are out on the roads for work, meeting family and friends and even for shopping. Inter-city travel has also increased. We are witnessing traffic jams again, everywhere and this gives consumers ample time to gaze at billboards! So, this is the right time for brand presence in OOH Media to occupy the mind-space of their consumers.”