National:
In one year, Mumbai adds 2.87 lakh vehicles to its roads, total stands at 36.4 lakh now
Even as Mumbai’s road space continues to shrink, the city added 2.87 lakh vehicles, including two-wheelers, cars, auto-rickshaws, taxis among others, to its roads in the past year, according to the Environment Status Report (ESR) 2018-19 compiled by the civic body. The total number of vehicles in Mumbai as of March 2019 is 36.4 lakh and the city witnessed a growth of 7.9 per cent in number of vehicles in the last one year. Out of the 2.87 lakh vehicles added, the highest number is that of two-wheelers at 1.8 lakh followed by cars, SUVs and station wagons showing an increase of 68,209 as compared to 2018. In the public transport vehicles, taxis/cabs registered a dip of 8,415, whereas auto-rickshaws and buses registered an increase by 30,622 and 1,212 respectively since March 2018. Experts said traffic congestion in the city could be one of the reasons behind an increase in two- wheelers. “In the last one year, congestion has increased in the city, following metro construction, road works and other civic works. In this scenario, people find it easier to travel on two-wheelers rather than getting stuck in cars. I have seen many examples where people have ditched cars for two-wheeler and public transport to commute to work,” said Vivek Pai, transportation planner and member of Mumbai Mobility Forum. In addition, out of the 36.4 lakh vehicles in the city, the highest composition is of two wheelers at 58.61 per cent, followed by 29.67 per cent cars, SUVs and station wagons. There are 3.28 per cent taxis/cabs and 5.84 per cent auto-rickshaws and 0.44 per cent buses plying in the city. Other vehicles registered in the city are – 2.04 per cent goods vehicles, 0.02 per cent tractors/trailers and others at 0.10 per cent. Taxis and auto-rickshaws using LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and CNG (compressed natural gas), considered clean fuels, have also registered an increase. As of March, taxis using LPG and CNG have shown an increase of 2.3 per cent whereas 1.73 lakh auto-rickshaws are using clean fuel, witnessing an increase of 26 per cent from last year. The ESR covers several indices of environment and development, like air and noise pollution, water contamination, health, power supply, roads and traffic, solid waste and sewage disposal. The report, released annually, highlights challenges faced by each sector and steps taken by various agencies.