A study conducted by the Islamic University of Maldives has showed that 92 percent of the more than 100,000 vehicles in use within Malé City are motorcycles.
This is a study commissioned by Malé City Council to determine the condition of vehicles in Malé City area before finalising the number of vehicles to be registered in the city and the period of use of the vehicles.
The IUM's study was released on Wednesday.
According to the report, the total number of vehicles currently being used in Malé, Hulhumalé and Villimalé is 119,472. Of these, 103,300 were motorcycles, accounting for 92.7 percent of the total.
The remaining 7.3 percent were cars and other types of which 7,505 vehicles are cars.
The study recommended that the city council take special measures within the next 10 years to address the use of motorcycles and cars in the Malé area, given that these two categories are the most commonly used vehicles there.
It also called for accelerated efforts to reduce the number of vehicles to resolve Malé City's parking and air pollution issues, suggesting that collecting parking fees would be a move in the right direction.
The study also identified reasons for the increase in vehicles in the city. These include:
• Excessive population growth in this area
• Increased import of used vehicles
• Availability of financing schemes for easy vehicle purchase
• Lack of roadworthiness monitoring
• Unregulated vehicle parking in Malé
• Poor quality of public transport and taxi services
Considering the number and width of Malé City roads as well as the availability of parking spaces, the study recommended to set a total limit of 51,904 cars and motorcycles that can be used in the city.
The study said the vehicle limit in the city, including motorcycles, cars and other types of vehicles could be set at 89,413.
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