The brainstorming of the problem with roads in general goes  here:-

mind map

The problem area in general

Design process is a series of steps that we should follow to come up with a solution to a persisting problem.

The Indian road network is the second largest in the world with a total length of  3320000kms. India's road network carries over 65 percent of its freight and about 85 percent of passenger traffic.

Indian Road Network  Indian road network of 33 lakh Km.is second largest in the world and consists of : Length(In Km) Expressways 200 National Highways 96,260.72 State Highways 1,31,899 Major District Roads 4,67,763 Rural and Other Roads 26,50,000

Indian road network is administered by various government authorities, given India's federal form of government. but there are a number of problems with indian roads:-

1. Most of the Indian roads are unsurfaced (42.65%) and are not suitable for use of vehicular traffic. The poor maintenance of the roads aggra­vates the problem especially in the rainy season.

According to one estimate there is about per year loss of Rs. 200 crores on the wear and tear of the vehicles due to poor quality of roads. Even the National Highways suffer from the deficiencies of inadequate capacity, weak pavement, poor riding quality, distressed bridges, unabridged level cross­ings, congested cities (lack of by-pass roads), lack of wayside amenities and safety measures.

2. One major problem on the Indian roads is the mixing of traffic. Same road is used by high speed cars, trucks, two wheelers, tractors, animal driven carts, cyclists and even by animals. Even highways are not free from this malady. This in­creases traffic time, congestion and pollution and road accidents.

3. There are multiple check-posts, toll tax and octoroon duties collection points on the roads which bring down the speed of the traffic, waste time and cause irritation to transporters. Rate of road taxes vary from state to state and inter-state permits are difficult to obtain.

4. Way side amenities like repair shops, first aid centers, telephones, clean toilets, restaurants, rest places are lacking along the Indian roads. There is very little attention on road safety and traffic laws are willfully violated.

5. There is very little participation of private sector in road development in India because of long gestation period and low-returns. The legislative framework for private investment in roads is also not satisfactory. The road engineering and construction are yet to gear themselves up to meet the challenges of the future.

6. There has been no stability in policy relat­ing to highway development in the country. It has changed with the change of government. There are a number of agencies which look after the construc­tion and maintenance of different types of roads. Since there is no co-ordination between these agen­cies their decisions are often conflicting and contra­dictory.

7. There is shortage of funds for the construc­tion and maintenance of roads. Instead of giving high priority to this task the percentage allocation has decreased over the years While percentage share of plan allocation was 6.9 per cent in the First Five Year plan it has come down to less than three percent in the Eighth Plan.