Guwahati: The number of vehicles in the city is equal to its population even as there has been no expansion of the roads to support the growing traffic.
According to estimates, Guwahati’s population in the first half of 2023 was 13.25 lakh. On the other hand, around 13 lakh vehicles have been registered in the city so far. These include 3 lakh four-wheelers and 6 lakh two-wheelers while other vehicles comprise the remaining. On average, there has been an increase of 4,000-5,000 new vehicles registered every year during the last 10 years.
Besides the increase in vehicle registration, thousands of vehicles from neighbouring states, especially Meghalaya and Nagaland, ply on the roads of Guwahati every day.
As per figures, in 2004, around 11,000 two-wheelers were plying on the roads of the city. This number is expected to rise to 67,000 in 2025. Similarly, in 2004, the number of private vehicles in the city was around 15,500. This number is also expected to increase to 67,000 in 2025.
According to another report, about 18% population of Guwahati walk to commute from one place to another in the city while 45% use vehicles for daily commuting, 30% use public transport and 7% use bicycles and other means.
Vehicles are parked on the roadside, which further worsens the traffic situation. The authorities concerned have built a multi-level car parking lot in Zoo Road but due to its inconvenient location, people hardly use this parking lot to park their vehicles.
As the city’s population continues to grow and the rate of registration of new vehicles also continues to increase, the authorities concerned must come up with a robust traffic management plan or navigating through the traffic in the city will become a more harrowing experience than now.
FIRST Business Portal addressing the potential of business capability of North East Region.
