Roads are congested and road maintenance is under-funded. At the same time, 40% of the roads are dirt roads, and over 30% of villages have no access to all-weather roads. Many explanations have been given for India's inadequate road investment, including lack of funds and poor project management.

The legendary traffic congestion in Indian cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi is the result of a "perfect storm" of rapid urbanization, infrastructure lag, and a diverse "vehicle mix." As India's economy has grown, millions of people have migrated to urban centers, leading to a massive surge in private vehicle ownership that has far outpaced the construction of new roads. A primary cause is fragmented urban planning; many work hubs are disconnected from residential areas, forcing long commutes on roads that weren't designed for such volume. Furthermore, Indian roads accommodate an incredibly diverse range of transport—everything from luxury cars and city buses to auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and even hand-carts—all moving at different speeds, which disrupts the "flow" of traffic. Inadequate public transportation and poor "last-mile" connectivity also drive commuters toward private cars and two-wheelers, further clogging the arteries. Finally, behavioral factors play a role: frequent illegal parking, a lack of lane discipline, and "bottlenecks" caused by ongoing, often delayed, infrastructure projects like Metro expansions create constant gridlock. In 2026, despite the rollout of intelligent traffic management systems, the sheer density of vehicles remains the biggest hurdle to fluid urban mobility in the country.