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Two decades ago, Chandigarh’s broad avenues and sparse traffic left many wondering if the city had been overbuilt. Fast forward to in 2025, the narrative has reversed. The number of registered vehicles in Chandigarh has surpassed its human population, making it the city with the highest per capita vehicle density in India.
The Union Territory had a population of 1.25 million, but a vehicle count of 1.32 million, according to the Annual Report on Road Safety in Chandigarh, 2023.
This motorisation boom has brought the city’s famed gridiron layout under severe strain. Travel times have increased sharply, say commuters.
“Commuting three kilometres used to take five to six minutes a few years ago. Now it takes 15 to 20 minutes,” said Gurnaaz Kaur Boparai, a 39-year-old resident who drives to work. She blames the extended traffic signal durations—some now up to 120 seconds—and lower speed limits for the slowdown.
“It’s shameful that a well-planned city like Chandigarh takes 20 minutes to cover just three kilometres,” added Harman Sidhu, a road safety activist.
Residents complain about getting stuck in traffic during peak hours and spending longer at traffic signals and on their commutes. Boparai said it was once possible to clear a traffic signal in a single go, but the waiting time at these points has now increased to at least two signal cycles during peak hours.
Fuel consumption has also risen. “Earlier, 15 litres of petrol lasted me 15 days. Now I need to refuel every 10, thanks to the traffic and longer waits,” said Taranjit Singh, a local cab driver. According to data from the Chandigarh administration, residents commuting on two-wheelers consume about 20-45 litres of petrol per month, while cars use approximately 200 litres per month.
The city, spread across 114 square km at the foothills of the Shivalik range, has seen a steady rise in vehicle ownership. In 2022 alone, 52,996 new motor vehicles were registered — up from 36,867 in 2021, according to the 2023 road safety report. Of these, 94 per cent were private vehicles: 54.2 per cent four-wheelers and 40 per cent were two-wheelers. Public and commercial transport such as buses, autorickshaws, taxis, e-rickshaws and goods vehicles accounted for just 6 per cent
In 2022, the upward trend in vehicle registrations continued, with 16,129 more vehicles registered compared to 36,867 in 2021. According to the data, registrations had declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping from 42,616 in 2019 to 29,518 in 2020. However, numbers have risen sharply since then.
Uncontrolled development has undermined Chandigarh’s original gridiron system, designed by architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier in the 1950s to ensure safe pedestrian mobility and smooth vehicle flow while avoiding congestion and pollution. Although much of the original road network remains, the rise of private cars has led to the very problems the city’s design sought to prevent. Today, pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable and can no longer navigate the city safely.
Sidhu points to neighbouring cities like Mohali, Panchkula and Mullanpur — originally intended to remain undeveloped within a 25 km radius, per Le Corbusier’s vision — as major contributors to Chandigarh’s traffic load. “That vision has long been breached,” he noted.
Chandigarh’s public transport system is struggling to remain relevant. According to Chandigarh Transport Undertaking data, the average fleet size dropped from 565 buses in 2016-17 to 534 in 2018-19, with a corresponding decline in passenger numbers to 554,000 from 569,000 in the same period.
Though the fleet grew again to 635 by 2022-23, ridership failed to recover, dropping to 131,000 that year from 219,000 in 2021-22. Officials at the transport department say that the rise in private vehicles and the longer journey times required by buses make public transport a less attractive option. The relocation of the central bus terminal from centrally located Sector 17 to Sector 43 on the city’s periphery has only compounded the problem.
Residents complain of lengthy and cumbersome commutes involving multiple bus changes and long walks. “Travelling 3-5 km by bus can require at least two transfers and a 600-metre walk. A car can do the same in half the time,” said Pramod Sharma, a resident.
Chandigarh’s original design featured a seven-type road system to segregate pedestrian and vehicular flows. Today, that vision is faltering. Footpaths and cycle tracks are frequently encroached for parking, and pedestrian safety is in decline.
The influx of vehicles has also led to chronic congestion and a rise in road crashes, the traffic report noted.Data shows pedestrian fatalities rose from 35 per cent in 2019 to 42 per cent in 2023; cyclist fatalities nearly doubled, from 10 per cent to 18 per cent. In 2023, 90 per cent of road crashes were caused by overspeeding — predominantly by private cars. Twenty-five pedestrians died in areas without footpaths; three others died while crossing at zebra crossings.
A majority of pedestrian deaths and injuries in road crashes in Chandigarh were reported from areas lacking basic infrastructure, according to the traffic report. Twenty-five pedestrians lost their lives due to the absence of pedestrian infrastructure, while three others were killed while using zebra crossings, it noted
Sunaina Bansal, a gynaecologist from Panchkula who regularly cycles in Chandigarh, said the lack of cycle stands and secure places to lock bicycles is a persistent challenge. “The government should install basic infrastructure to motivate and encourage residents who wish to use cycling as a mode of daily commute,” she said.
Both pedestrians and cyclists say they feel unsafe navigating the city as motor vehicles dominate public roads. “Though the government has implemented speed limits and traffic checks, four-wheelers tend to speed during late night hours,” said Sunil Dogra, a local resident.
Dogra also noted that pedestrian footpaths and cycle tracks in several areas are being encroached upon for car parking.
Brij Bhushan, a senior scientist at the department of environment, Chandigarh administration, has been cycling to work from his home for the past three years. The 68-year-old said his six-kilometre commute involves dodging encroachments, uncovered manholes and speeding traffic at intersections.
“The city has fairly extensive cycling infrastructure and around 90 per cent of it is functional. But traffic signals are often not synchronised with the cyclist-specific signals, which creates confusion and puts cyclists at risk,” he explained.
Bhushan added that designated slip roads or pedestrian islands at roundabouts and intersections would help improve safety for both cyclists and pedestrians.
The increase in vehicles has gone hand in hand with a steady rise in air pollution levels. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, fine particulate matter PM2.5 levels have more than doubled to 70 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in 2024 from 33 µg/m³ in 2020, far above the national safe standard of 40 µg/m³. A reduction of 43 per cent would be required to meet this target.
A 2020 study by the University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index indicated that residents of the region could be losing up to 5.9 years of life expectancy due to long-term exposure to air pollution.
Navneet Kumar Srivastava, additional director at the department of environment, Chandigarh administration, attributed the poor air quality primarily to vehicular emissions, noting that the city has no major industrial areas.
JS Thakur, professor at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, said worsening air quality has led to a marked increase in cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
“Among the cancer cases we see, lung cancer — primarily caused by smoking and compounded by air pollution — ranks first. In 2017-18, lung cancer accounted for 11.5 per cent of total cancer cases, which is significant,” he added. He also noted a rise in tuberculosis and respiratory illnesses among children.
Officials in the transport department admitted that the city’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan, 2031 — which includes proposals for metro rail and a Bus Rapid Transit system — remains largely unimplemented.
“Work on the outer ring road and other major infrastructure projects under the CMP has not materialised. There are concerns that additional construction may worsen the city's air quality and disrupt its existing planned grid layout,” one official told Down To Earth.
To address the crisis, the administration is focusing on curbing the growth of private vehicle numbers and promoting electric vehicles (EV). “The new policy prioritises electric mobility, especially given that many residents are reluctant to use public transport in a city with a radius of just 10 km,” said Srivastava.
The Department of Science and Technology introduced an EV policy in September 2022, which included subsidies and waived registration fees. As a result, EV penetration rose to 15 per cent — the highest in the country, claimed Srivastava. The administration now aims to increase this to 18 per cent by 2025-26 and 70 per cent by 2035.
While subsidies of Rs 4,000 were also introduced for electric bicycles, officials admitted that uptake has been poor.
Sidhu warned that shifting from petrol cars to EVs without reducing car usage would not solve congestion. “There is no point in moving out of a private room only to travel in another private room. The traffic woes will persist,” he said.
Sharma remains cautiously optimistic. “Chandigarh still has the potential to recover. Unlike other metros that may be beyond repair, we can restore the city’s original charm. Making it pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly is key, just as Le Corbusier envisioned. He believed people would come to Chandigarh to see nature, not cars.”
This article is part of our series on how India moves, which looks at the relationship between air quality and human mobility in cities and towns.