Traffic Nightmare in Shimla: 15 Lakh Tourists, 4 Lakh Vehicles, and Counting

Shimla: The capital city, a favorite for summer and weekend tourists is reeling under an unprecedented tourist influx.

Up to June 25, 2024, approximately 15 lakh tourists have swarmed the city in about 4 lakh vehicles, turning its roads into a chaotic mess during peak hours peak summer season.

Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi has come out with one minute ttaffic plan, the best he can do with the real time situation on the ground zero  on the city circular road  the main life line that bear the brunt of traffic.

But it collapsed when the influx of traffic surged from Taradevi side. Still the cops are managing it. 

The Shimla Traffic Transport Regulation (TTR) unit has resorted to using drone cameras for aerial monitoring in a desperate bid to manage the situation in  hill stations in Shimla and Manali, but the traffic remains a nightmare.

Water and Infrastructure Challenges

Despite improvements in water availability—rising from a range of 13-33 million liters per day (MLD) to 43 MLD—Shimla's infrastructure is buckling.

The city’s water supply has improved, but this is small comfort amid the ongoing traffic crisis and huge number of tourists. 

Parking Woes

With a population of 2 lakh, Shimla has parking facilities for just 5,000 vehicles. This shortage exacerbates the gridlock as thousands of cars battle for limited spots. Key trouble areas include:

-Panthaghati-Vikasnagar  where work on the lot  parking and overbridge is going on a snail's pace. No one is bothered as one  can spot just two odd laborers working there. 

- BCS-Khalini needs widening of road at three intersection and Khalini  crossings. 

- Railway Crossing needs widening of road and the installation of traffic lights 

- Victory Tunnel needs  a flyover or extra side  lane

- HPDTC Lift, overcongested spot that needs immediate expansion  of narrow road. Contractor who built the parking complex here gobbled up the space. It is an example of myopic planning and greed. 

- Sanjauli Chowk need removal sheds at the curve  at Chowk

 Chotta Shimla  needs a two way  flyover.

The slow pace of work at Vikasnagar overbridge and parking has turned out to be the main cause of traffic mess there.

The contractor is least bothered to add some work force to complete the work. The material is loaded and unloaded anywhere haphazardly.

The police is least borher so is the Municipal Corporation Shimla to take the contractors to task. 

Residents face excruciating delays, with travel times stretching over an hour for short distances like BCS to IGMC. 

VIP Culture Adds to Public Misery.

The public transport is very poor and the shabby private buses and failure of the HRTC to increase its local transport fleet are adding traffic woes of residents who are squeezed in the shabby buses like veggy bags of luggage with hardly any space to rest their feet. 

RTOs whose job is to check overcrowding and violations are not doing their jobs. These private buses not only overload but also  never stop at the designated bus stops built at the cost of crores of rupees in the city.

Even taxi operates rule the roost in the city,  They have grabbed parking spaces in the city here and there under the nose of the Municipal Corporation and district administration. 

They also emit pollution as they are never checked for pollution emissions norms. 

Adding insult to injury, the prevalent VIP culture ensures that only VIP vehicles are allowed on socalled restricted or sealed roads in the city that can otherwise be opened during peak hours to give some dignity to the suffering public  

The congested IGMC hospital which receives maximum crowds daily provide no public parking.

Same is the case with the Secretariat  which has no public space for parking. The parking lots  have no parking facilities for the public, catering instead to bureaucrats and political elites.

People are forced to park on the roads only to get a hefty challan of Rs 1000 or so. The facilities only exist for VIPs and no one challan them even if they violate traffic rules  

This disregard for common citizens exacerbates the frustration of the traveling public.

What the Future Holds

The things are going from bad to worse due to increasing influx of tourist traffic and surge in local traffic as well as thousands of vehicles are added to the traffic burden of the city every year.

The state  government, per its official announcements, is looking at several measures to address these issues but nobody is certain when they will fruitify. 

1. Expansion of Parking Facilities: Plans to increase  parking capacity are on papers.  New parking complexes are proposed near Sanjauli, Chotta Shimla, and near  Mall Road.

  2. Traffic Regulation Improvements: Enhanced traffic management systems and more extensive use of drone monitoring are expected to improve flow.

3. Infrastructure Development: Major road expansions and upgrades, particularly around key choke points, have yet see the light of day. The widened roads are parking lots  now.

4. Public Transport Boost:  There’s a push to improve public transport to reduce dependency on private vehicles, including new bus routes and increased frequency, but only a paper work.

HRTC does not operate frequently on the most chocked roads as the state transport authorities have given a  free run to the shabby private buses. 

5. Smart City Initiatives: As part of the Smart City Mission, Shimla residents were shown the dream of seeing improvements in urban mobility and infrastructure that should ease long-term congestion.

But the government of the day has not even improved local public transport as the public has been subjected to congestion and dehumanizing ordeal mainly during peak hours, which need more buses mainly on Mehli-Panthaghati-BCS-Khalini-Old Bus stand circular road. 

The HRTC Taxi service is also like a VIP service as there is little frequency during peak hours and there is no service after 5.30 PM.

HRTC taxi service  has no time table for the public traveling on New Shimla-Highcourt and other routes at the rain shelter near Simla club. 

For now, though, residents and tourists alike must face  a gridlocked Shimla, where a short trip can feel like an eternity.

With only a fraction of the required infrastructure in place, the city’s charm is being overshadowed by its traffic and water  woes, leaving many questioning whether a visit is worth the hassle. 

Shimla's future improvements are promising, but for the city's harried citizens and visitors, relief cannot come soon enough. Will Ropeways See the light of the day? 

Readers  Comment:

Governments often prioritize vote-catching policies, but for immediate traffic relief, we could implement a one-way traffic system for local buses from **Boileauganj Chowk** to **Khalini Chowk**.

Enforce a no U-turn rule for taxis, particularly near Crow Brow Guest House by the railway station and the **Vidhan Sabha crossing**.

Local bus drivers should only stop at approved bus stops, with all actions monitored under CCTV surveillance. Only direct vehicles heading towards **Sanjauli** and **Dhalli** (i.e., Upper Shimla Area) should move freely between the **Bypass Crossing** and **Victory Tunnel**.

Minor adjustments can be made after implementing this plan under the guidance of SP Shimla-

Surinder Thakur, Chief Engineer(Retd), Shilaroo Shimla.