BY ABDUL WAHAB KHAN | NT
PANAJI: The unbridled increase in motor vehicle population of Goa against only a nominal increase in road length has been causing serious concern regarding road safety in the state.According to reports of a research wing attached to the Ministry of Road Transport, the total surfaced road length in the state till 2011 is 10,627 km and the motor vehicle population has increased by 87 per cent in the last seven years. According to the latest estimates, every month about 5,000-6,000 new vehicles are added to the vehicle population of the state.
According to records available with the state’s transport department, the motor vehicle population during 2006-07 was 5,78,771, whereas till March 2015 the figure has touched 10, 83,678 of which 70 per cent vehicles comprise of two wheelers.
This uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles in the context of only a marginal increase in road length has brought to the fore serious debate regarding road safety in the state.
In fact, the increase in the number of motorcycles/scooters on the state’s roads, every year, is breathtaking. By 2013-14, the number of two wheelers increased to 7,12,177 and as of March 2015, the number of two wheelers hitting the roads in Goa shot up to 7,66,576, recording an average annual growth rate of 7 per cent. Simultaneously, with the increase in the number of two wheelers, road accidents involving such vehicles have also been on the rise. As the number of two wheelers increased from 7.12 lakh to 7.66 lakh, the number of accidents involving such vehicles increased four times from 4,520 in 2012 to 17,870 in 2013.
According to transport department director Arun Dessai, there has been an average growth of 7-8 per cent in registration of vehicles year on year which touches up to 40 per cent during the festive season. Last year, till March 31, the vehicle population in the state was 10,09,362 which grew by 7.36 per cent with 74,316 more vehicles getting registered by March 2015. In the year 2011-12, a total number of 75,534 vehicles were registered and in 2012-13, the figure was 72,763. Similarly, in 2013-14, the transport department registered 70,990 vehicles. Dessai said that it is not possible to restrict the number of vehicle dealership in the state, “as everybody has a right to carry on with business activity.”
In the last five years, the accident figure in the state has gone up by 17 per cent, with 4229 accidents occurring in 2014; the number of fatalities recorded being 290. In 2013, 4294 accidents took place involving mostly two wheelers and resulting in 249 deaths. The state registered a total number of 3,600 motor vehicle accidents with 248 people losing their lives in 2010 while 3,300 accidents occurred in 2009.
Meanwhile, the transport department is all set to notify the state’s first road safety policy to reduce the number of accidents to about 2,098 by the year 2020 from the present level of 4,229 by strengthening traffic police and transport enforcement.
The rise in vehicle population has also raised concern over the state’s environment, as according to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the increase in the usage of vehicles has led to a consistent rise in air pollution levels, affecting environment in the state. The dangerous gases emitted like sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are the prime cause of pollution.
http://www.navhindtimes.in/every-month-6000-new-vehicles-hit-goas-already-congested-roads/
PANAJI: The unbridled increase in motor vehicle population of Goa against only a nominal increase in road length has been causing serious concern regarding road safety in the state.According to reports of a research wing attached to the Ministry of Road Transport, the total surfaced road length in the state till 2011 is 10,627 km and the motor vehicle population has increased by 87 per cent in the last seven years. According to the latest estimates, every month about 5,000-6,000 new vehicles are added to the vehicle population of the state.
According to records available with the state’s transport department, the motor vehicle population during 2006-07 was 5,78,771, whereas till March 2015 the figure has touched 10, 83,678 of which 70 per cent vehicles comprise of two wheelers.
This uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles in the context of only a marginal increase in road length has brought to the fore serious debate regarding road safety in the state.
In fact, the increase in the number of motorcycles/scooters on the state’s roads, every year, is breathtaking. By 2013-14, the number of two wheelers increased to 7,12,177 and as of March 2015, the number of two wheelers hitting the roads in Goa shot up to 7,66,576, recording an average annual growth rate of 7 per cent. Simultaneously, with the increase in the number of two wheelers, road accidents involving such vehicles have also been on the rise. As the number of two wheelers increased from 7.12 lakh to 7.66 lakh, the number of accidents involving such vehicles increased four times from 4,520 in 2012 to 17,870 in 2013.
According to transport department director Arun Dessai, there has been an average growth of 7-8 per cent in registration of vehicles year on year which touches up to 40 per cent during the festive season. Last year, till March 31, the vehicle population in the state was 10,09,362 which grew by 7.36 per cent with 74,316 more vehicles getting registered by March 2015. In the year 2011-12, a total number of 75,534 vehicles were registered and in 2012-13, the figure was 72,763. Similarly, in 2013-14, the transport department registered 70,990 vehicles. Dessai said that it is not possible to restrict the number of vehicle dealership in the state, “as everybody has a right to carry on with business activity.”
In the last five years, the accident figure in the state has gone up by 17 per cent, with 4229 accidents occurring in 2014; the number of fatalities recorded being 290. In 2013, 4294 accidents took place involving mostly two wheelers and resulting in 249 deaths. The state registered a total number of 3,600 motor vehicle accidents with 248 people losing their lives in 2010 while 3,300 accidents occurred in 2009.
Meanwhile, the transport department is all set to notify the state’s first road safety policy to reduce the number of accidents to about 2,098 by the year 2020 from the present level of 4,229 by strengthening traffic police and transport enforcement.
The rise in vehicle population has also raised concern over the state’s environment, as according to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the increase in the usage of vehicles has led to a consistent rise in air pollution levels, affecting environment in the state. The dangerous gases emitted like sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are the prime cause of pollution.
http://www.navhindtimes.in/every-month-6000-new-vehicles-hit-goas-already-congested-roads/
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