Shimla grapples with traffic jams in peak tourist season

Shimla, June 17

With a surge in tourist numbers, traffic jams and parking issue have been affecting locals as well as visitors in the capital town.

According to the police, more than 25,000 vehicles are entering the town on a daily basis. The number is double compared to normal days.

To tackle traffic chaos, the police had recently reintroduced one-minute traffic plan in the town. Still, people entering and exiting Shimla have to wait for hours in long queues given the high volume of traffic.

Shimla has around 20,000 parking slots available, including big, small and yellow line parking. Clearly, parking slots are insufficient to cater to the number of vehicles that are entering the town every day.

Tourists are finding it difficult to find parking slots for their vehicles.

Aditya, a tourist from Delhi, said he reached Shimla at night and had to face a lot of inconvenience in finding a parking slot for his vehicle. “After much struggle, I was finally able to get a parking spot near the lift,” he added.

Shimla Municipal Corporation Mayor Surender Chauhan said four new parking facilities are being constructed in the town, including near IGMC and near SDA Complex in Kasumpti, which will help in alleviate the parking problem in the town. With these new lots, the parking capacity in the town will increase by 2,000.