Exponential growth in vehicle count major cause for traffic woes in Thane, say officials

Thane , Nov 25 (PTI) Traffic police in Maharashtra's Thane say exponential growth in the number of vehicles in the city, coupled with factors like poor condition of roads, has given rise to issues like traffic congestion and parking woes.

They claim that there is one vehicle per person in the city, excluding Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva areas, as for the human population of 18 lakh, there are 16.5 lakh registered vehicles.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Pankaj Shirsat, said, in a statement, "It is a matter of concern that Thane, the gateway to Mumbai, has earned the dubious distinction of being a city of traffic jams. Besides the poor condition of roads and other factors, the increasing number of vehicles in Thane city is also becoming a reason for traffic jams." "There are currently 16.5 lakh vehicles in Thane, with a population of approximately 18 lakh. Looking at the number of vehicles registered with the Thane Regional Transport Office, it is seen that there is one vehicle per person in Thane. This is leading to congestion and parking woes," he said, appealing to citizens to give priority to public transport. PTI COR NP