Conducted in Thrissur district with a sample of 300 individuals, the study focused on people who work, live, or commute on the road across class backgrounds.
Published Jul 29, 2025 | 12:16 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2025 | 12:16 PM
A road in Kerala's Munnar. (iStock)
Synopsis: A study conducted in Kerala’s Thrissur maps how prolonged exposure to road environments impacts people’s physical health, social functioning, and psychological well-being. It opens up a much-needed conversation on mobility, access, and justice in India’s growing cities and towns.
For many in India, the road is more than just a path between destinations. It is where people live, work, wait, break down and survive. From roadside vendors and manual labourers to patients stuck in ambulances and professionals stranded in traffic, the road is a space of both livelihood and loss.
A unique study conducted in Kerala’s Thrissur titled “Road Sociology: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Mobility, Social Life, and Inequality” has attempted to frame this complex reality within a new sociological lens.
Conducted by Dr PN Vinod Kumar, Kerala Police Assistant Sub-Inspector and researcher at Kerala Police Academy, the study maps how prolonged exposure to road environments impacts people’s physical health, social functioning, and psychological well-being.
It was co-authored by Binshad MS, Assistant Professor (Forensic Science), Centre for Integrated Studies, CUSAT, and Anaan Sharaf, Post Graduate Student at Indira Gandhi National Open University.
The study doesn’t just measure blood pressure or travel delays; it uncovers the invisible community of people who experience inequality, stress, and missed opportunities on account of poor urban planning, lack of regulation, and infrastructural neglect.
By spotlighting the lived experiences of over 300 individuals from different walks of life, the research opens up a much-needed conversation on mobility, access, and justice in India’s growing cities and towns.
Speaking to South First, Dr Vinod said, “There is a community on the road, who lives on the road and lead their lives on the road.” His journey into this new concept began during a long wait at Edappally Junction in Ernakulam, two years ago. He recalled seeing a wide variety of people stranded, including businesspeople, roadside workers, and even a renowned oncologist.
“That’s when it struck me that this was a shared experience across professions and social classes,” Dr Vinod said. This realisation eventually became the foundation of this research project. Conducted in Thrissur district with a sample of 300 individuals, the study focused on people who work, live, or commute on the road across class backgrounds.
Dr Vinod explained that these included roadside vendors, workers, local traders, and even middle- and upper-class commuters. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data, looking at how individuals spent their full day on or around roads and what kinds of setbacks they encountered.
“Road sociology is not just a term. It is a method we created to understand how people live in such spaces and what that means for their well-being,” he said.
He pointed out that high blood pressure was one of the key physical indicators that emerged during the study. “It is not only due to blood pressure,” he clarified, “but blood pressure is one of the reasons.” Measurements taken before and after people crossed toll plazas and traffic blocks showed noticeable variations.
These delays disrupted key events like wedding ceremonies, flights, and important appointments. Dr Vinod explained that ambulances getting stuck impacted access to timely healthcare, and even when events eventually happened, the uncertainty and timing pressure led to considerable mental stress.
Dr Vinod also spoke about the wide range of people affected by the delays caused due to poor transportation management, including cobblers, people who repair umbrellas, tender coconut vendors, and elderly lottery sellers, some even aged 70 or 80. He noted that many of them run small shops or do informal work just to support large families, often with more than 10 members.
He said, “These people bear the bigger burden because of the size of the families they support.”
The pressures of daily road life do not spare the privileged either. “Upper-economic class individuals suffer the most when they can’t reach places on time,” he added.
He noted that after the study gained attention, several stakeholders, including people from the police, insurance sector, and transport departments, got in touch.
“An RJ who interviewed me told me that this subject resonated with many people, including those who had to cancel appointments due to traffic. Everyone is affected in some way,” he said.
Dr Vinod is now working on the next chapter, which he calls the “next version” of road sociology. “This will include sections related to automobiles, insurance, and socio-economic and psychological aspects,” he said.
The study, although based in Kerala, has wider relevance. “This is not just about Kerala. Indian roads have similar conditions everywhere,” he said.
From early morning food vendors and small traders to businessmen and affluent professionals in cities across India, many rely on roads not just for movement but for survival.
In some towns, Dr Vinod noted, local governments have begun allocating specific areas for street vendors. “If such initiatives are implemented more widely, they can reduce congestion and improve living and working conditions.”
Road maintenance delays and unpredictable traffic force many to leave hours in advance, yet still face stress and disruptions.
Dr. Vinod’s findings make it clear: India’s roads are not just transit routes, but spaces where people live, work, and endure. A better transport system, improved traffic regulation, and inclusive planning are urgently needed, not just to ease movement, but to safeguard health, livelihoods, and dignity for all who rely on the road.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
