Car registrations rise by40% this Akshaya Tritiya

Mumbai: New car registrations surged by around 40% in the past one week for special deliveries on Akshaya Tritiya compared to the festival period last year. There was a 22% rise in overall vehicle registrations during this festival period while the registrations of two-wheelers also rose by 19%, according to transport department statistics.
The maximum number of cars, 489, was registered with the Borivli RTO, while Wadala RTO reported the highest number of bike registrations at 835, sources at RTO said.

Nearly 1,500 new cars and over 2,700 two-wheelers were registered for deliveries. The purchase of new automobiles in Mumbai usually peaks during four days of the year -- Gudi Padwa, Akshaya Tritiya, Dussehra and Diwali. These are actually auspicious days for starting new ventures or making new purchases.
When it came to green vehicles, statistics showed that there were 162 new electric vehicles booked for Akshaya Tritiya while the registration of CNG vehicles was 546 at the four RTOs collectively in the past one week. Transport experts are worried about the increasing vehicular population on city roads, especially two-wheelers. While the total vehicle population in the city has crossed 46 lakh, there are around 13 lakh private cars and 28 lakh two-wheelers. The density of vehicles in Mumbai is one of the highest in the country at 2,300 vehicles per km.
An official from the Federation of Automobile Dealer's Association, however, said that private vehicles have become a necessity and are no longer a status symbol. "It is fair for a family to have 2-3 cars. It can be an utility -- some elderly person cannot travel without a car or someone who needs a car to travel long distances daily. It is something that you need to use," he said.
Experts indicated with the car population bursting at its seams and limited roads , the density of vehicles could shoot over 2400 vehicles per km and cars over 700 per km in 2024, If left unchecked. They added that if this is not regulated by strengthening public transport and dissuading people from bringing private cars and bikes on roads, this could lead to more congestion, pollution and also delays in daily commute. “There is a dearth of car parking in the city and it is high time we impose peak-hour congestion charges/tax like the one in Central London,” a transport anlyst said.