It is learnt that Goa tops the country in terms of number of households that own vehicles with eight in ten families having a two-wheeler and nearly 50% possessing a car. The high density of vehicles is cramping up road space and is a major contributor to the high rate of road mishaps according to transport officials. Besides road mishaps they are also causing other problems like traffic jams, lack of parking space, air and noise pollution with ill effects on human health. The harmful exhausts from vehicles results in air pollution and leads to various health problems like respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and so on. In recent times, a revolution has been brought about in the field of transport and automobile industry. Advanced models of cars are being introduced in the market. The number of vehicles, including automobiles, cars, trucks, buses, trailers, shuttle-buses used in public transportation, delivery of goods and for personal purposes has dramatically risen throughout the last decades. Goans are increasingly relying on their own vehicles since the public transport facilities are poor and taxi services are perceived to be expensive. The solution to the problem could lie in constructing better road infrastructure, usage of non-polluting vehicles and resorting to public transport. Additional taxation could also be a viable option besides educating the public on the ill-effects of having more vehicles on the roads. Citizens could walk or cycle when they can. They could take public transport or carpool with friends instead of driving alone.
