When 30-year-old Raman Kant, who lived in the Panthaghati area of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, leaves for his office every morning, worry lines were clearly visible on his face. It now takes him an average of two hours and fifteen minutes to reach his office in Baluganj, just 14 kilometres away — whereas earlier, he used to cover the same distance in just 45 minutes.
Now it seems a major part of the day is spent jostling in buses, said Kant. “Earlier, travelling was easy, but now crowded buses, traffic jams and a shortage of buses have made life difficult.”
His daily commute not only costs him time but also strains his finances — around Rs 1,500 of his monthly salary is spent on bus fares. Fatigue, delays and reprimands from his boss had become part of his daily routine.
Raman is not alone. Thousands of Shimla residents — whether commuting on scooters, motorcycles, on foot, by public transport or private vehicles — face similar struggles due to traffic congestion and the increasing number of vehicles. Shimla’s narrow roads, its rapidly growing vehicle population and an inadequate public transport system had slowed down the city.
The city, spread over just 35 square kilometres, is experiencing severe mobility challenges. As the capital of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla houses the headquarters of key government departments, the Chief Minister’s Office, the Secretariat, the High Court and prominent educational institutions.
It is also a major tourist destination, attracting visitors throughout the year. In summer, thousands arrived daily to escape the heat of the plains, leading to an exponential increase in vehicles and people on city roads. Traffic jams, parking shortages and pressure on public transport became routine, disrupting the daily lives of residents.
Traffic pressure on city roads had grown steadily. A traffic volume count survey for 2018, mentioned in the Draft Development Plan, Shimla Planning Area, 2041 by the state government found heavy congestion at 11 major intersections during peak hours: 9-11 am and 5-7 pm. At Baluganj, 1,001 Passenger Car Units (PCU) were recorded in the morning and at Victory Tunnel, the figure was 3,901.
Passenger Car Unit (PCU) is a measure used in transport engineering to describe how much space a vehicle takes on the road compared to a standard car. It helps assess traffic flow on highways by converting different vehicles (like trucks, buses, bikes) into a common unit — the “car equivalent.”
In the evening, Indira Gandhi Chowk saw 812 PCUs, while Victory Tunnel had 4,210. Pedestrian numbers were also high — 257 at Victory Tunnel and 3,068 at IGMC Chowk, the survey showed . These figures demonstrate that commuting in Shimla was challenging for both pedestrians and motorists.
Residents avoided public transport for several reasons. Firstly, it consumed too much time. Secondly, the limited number of buses often led to overcrowding. Thirdly, the poor condition of government vehicles meant passengers sometimes had to endure leaking roofs during rain or breakdowns mid-route.
Buses often failed to adhere to schedules, adding to commuter frustration and nudging people towards private transport. Furthermore, with the minimum fare in government buses fixed at Rs 10, short-distance passengers found the cost disproportionately high.
Traffic in Shimla had become a burden on both time and money. According to the city’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan by the Shimla Municipal Corporation, an average household spent about Rs 926 per month on travel — around 5 per cent of their monthly income. However, the report came out in 2012 and the costs have only continued to rise.
These mobility issues forced many residents to alter their travel habits. Archana Phull, 52, who had been commuting by bus for over two decades, said she had changed both the mode and timing of her travel due to growing costs and congestion.
“Earlier, I could reach my office — just three kilometres away — in 10–15 minutes by bus for Rs 10. Now, to avoid vehicle queues, I take a more expensive taxi that follows a restricted route. My daily travel cost has risen to Rs 40,” she said.
Raj Arora, 50, who travelled from Tutu to Lakkar Bazaar in his private car, said, “I have been driving the 9 kilometre distance for the last 15 years. It takes me over an hour many times a month. There are very few occasions when I’ve reached the office without getting stuck in traffic.” What once cost Rs 50 in petrol for Arora now costs him double due to traffic delays and slow-moving vehicles.
Shimla had four major entry points: Via the Shimla-Mandi Road (Circular Road through Tutu–Baluganj), the Chandigarh–Solan–Shoghi Road, from Upper Shimla via Dhalli and the Karsog–Tatapani–Sunni–Shimla Road (also connecting at Dhalli). All this traffic converged on the Circular Road, the city’s only main artery.
As a result, long queues formed daily on this road and at key points such as Baluganj, MLA Crossing, 103 Tunnel, Old Barrier, Shoghi Bazaar, Vidhan Sabha Crossing, Victory Tunnel, near the Lift, Khalini Chowk, St Edward Chowk, Sanjauli Chowk, Dhalli Chowk, Mashobra Bifurcation, Auckland Tunnel, Tara Hall, BCS and Kasumpti Chowk. Jams were routine in these areas, delaying commuters for hours.
In response to worsening traffic, the High Court ordered restrictions on vehicle registration within the Shimla Municipal Corporation area. Now, new registrations required proof of parking, with police verification of the site. This was aimed at curbing the growth of private vehicles.
Currently, the Regional Transport Office and the sub-divisional magistrates for Shimla city and Shimla rural sub-division are responsible for vehicle registration in the district. Over 121,000 vehicles registered in Shimla, according to a May 3 press statement by district authorities, with experts estimating more than 50,000 belonging to migrants. Additionally, 5,000-8,000 vehicles enter the city each day.
According to the Himachal Economic Survey 2024-25, over 2.57 million tourists visited Shimla between January and December 2024. Yet, the city had only 623 hotels and guesthouses, with a total of 10,596 beds — woefully inadequate.
Parking was an even bigger issue. Shimla had space for just 4,000 vehicles. A survey showed that 80 per cent of tourists faced parking problems and were often overcharged. During peak tourist seasons, the situation worsened, affecting both tourists and locals. Rural areas around Shimla had begun turning farmland into parking lots, raising concerns about shrinking agricultural land.
As the state capital and a popular tourist destination, Shimla receives hundreds of buses each day, placing immense pressure on its already overburdened road network. The Old Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), the city’s primary transit hub, handles nearly 50,000 passengers boarding and disembarking daily.
Even then, in terms of public transport, Shimla operates only 182 Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses and 106 private buses, according to the draft development plan — a fleet that falls far short of the city’s needs. In 2005, approximately 65 per cent of residents used public transport. By 2018, this had declined to 49 per cent.
Further, only 35 per cent people now rely on public transport, 23 per cent walk, while 41 per cent use private vehicles — 19 per cent travel by car and 22 per cent by two-wheeler.
Despite several roads in the city being restricted to permitted vehicles, all types of traffic ply the Circular Road, making traffic regulation even more difficult. Shimla’s population and vehicle count continue to grow, exacerbating congestion and infrastructure fatigue.
Tikender Singh Panwar, former deputy mayor and architect of the Shimla City Mobility Plan, told this reporter that a comprehensive traffic survey during his tenure yielded staggering results. At the Victory Tunnel, traffic volumes were recorded between 4,000 and 45,000 PCUs over a 16-hour period, far exceeding the city’s road capacity.
Panwar noted that a weak public transport system has driven residents towards private vehicles, with more than half of all vehicles on the road carrying only the driver. This has drastically increased vehicular density.
He emphasised that Shimla requires large-scale investment in a multimodal public transport system to address both congestion and pollution. “We had initiated efforts in this direction, but the plans couldn’t move forward,” he said.
As an urban planner, Panwar advocates for introducing trams, golf carts, cycle tracks and a modern fleet of electric buses. He also recommends investment in ropeways and vertical mobility solutions — such as lifts and escalators — suited to Shimla’s topography. These interventions, he argues, would not only ease congestion but also improve the city’s overall quality of life.
The growing number of vehicles is having a direct impact on both public health and safety. Shimla has seen a sharp rise in road accidents over the past decade, shows the state’s road safety website. In 2015, there were 225 accidents, resulting in 431 injuries and 98 deaths, compared to 2024, when the numbers rose to 319 accidents, 462 injuries and 137 fatalities.
These figures reveal the lethal consequences of rising traffic and inadequate road safety infrastructure in hilly urban areas like Shimla. There is an urgent need for robust traffic management, safer public transport and upgraded road systems.
A report by global sustainability network ICLEI also painted a grim picture of traffic in Shimla. While public transport accounts for 48 per cent and non-motorised transport 43 per cent of all urban mobility, the narrow roads and heavy tourist traffic create massive bottlenecks. During peak hours, vehicles on the Cart Road often move at speeds as low as 2 to 12 kilometres per hour, the paper stated.
The transport sector is also a key contributor to air pollution. Data from the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board (2020-2024) illustrates the city’s deteriorating air quality. In 2020 (April-December), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was rated ‘good’ 164 times, ‘satisfactory’ 41 times and ‘moderate’ twice. In 2024, the AQI dropped noticeably: There were 151 ‘good’ air days, 123 ‘satisfactory’ and four ‘moderate’ days.
A parallel analysis by UrbanEmissions.info also identified a steady rise in particulate matter. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels increased from 22.9 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³) in 1998 to 31.5 µg/m³ by 2016. In 2018, the transport sector emitted around 900 tonnes of PM2.5 and 950 tonnes of PM10 annually. The sector contributed 38.9 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in 2018, projected to rise to 42 per cent by 2030, according to the portal.
But traffic jams are more than a nuisance — they’re a serious health hazard. Epidemiologist Dr Omesh Bharti explained that when vehicles remain idle in congestion, toxic gas concentrations increase dramatically, especially for nearby pedestrians and drivers trapped in the fumes. “These emissions directly affect the respiratory system, heart, lungs and brain,” he said. “For those already suffering from asthma or respiratory issues, the health risks become even more acute.”
The draft development plan sought to expand infrastructure in anticipation of the city’s growing population, which is projected to reach 625,000 by 2041, including both permanent and floating populations:
2011: 241,000 permanent + 70,000 floating = 311,000 total
2021: 307,000 permanent + 85,000 floating = 392,000
2031 (projected): 391,000 permanent + 104,000 floating = 495,000
2041 (projected): 498,000 lakh permanent + 126,000 floating = 625,000
The plan also details Shimla’s working population: 1,04,051 total workers, including 88,777 regular and 15,274 marginal workers. Among them, 28,877 are women. For such a workforce, accessible and efficient mobility is essential.
“We’ve invited public suggestions to help shape a new traffic plan,” said District Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap. “We’re incorporating these inputs to design a traffic system that addresses the city’s current challenges.”
But despite multiple government attempts, most efforts to improve mobility have stalled at the planning stage. The 2012 Comprehensive Mobility Plan proposed a Rs 4,700 crore overhaul of Shimla’s transport system, including trams, ropeways, and a rapid transit network. However, the plan failed to progress due to the lack of financial approval.
Similarly, the Shimla Smart City Project, which allocated around Rs 3,000 crore for mobility upgrades, has seen little real progress, according to the draft development plan. The ropeway project, envisioned in three phases:
Phase 1: Rs 1,232 crore
Phase 2: Rs 766 crore
Phase 3: Rs 1,326 crore
Plans to decentralise government offices and develop satellite towns have also not been implemented seriously. Shimla continues to face the same old congestion, pollution and planning paralysis.
Environmental expert and urban planner Dimple Bahl believes that mobility crises have now reached hill towns, just as they once gripped India’s big cities. “We must first control rampant over-tourism in hill areas,” she said.
She advocated digitally empowered public transport, where real-time data encourages passengers to choose buses and trams over private vehicles. Serious work is also needed on urban decongestion, including discouraging single-person driving, promoting carpooling and shared mobility, running road safety awareness campaigns and investing in next-generation transport systems
Bahl stressed the urgency of introducing advanced mobility solutions in hill cities — before these towns become completely gridlocked.
Shimla’s story reflects the reality of many hill towns across India — where rising populations, unchecked growth in private vehicle ownership, inadequate public transport and policy failures have pushed mobility into a state of crisis. This crisis not only wastes time, money and energy but also has serious consequences for air pollution, road safety and public health.
Addressing it will require robust, inclusive and sustainable public transport systems, greater use of carpooling, digital technology and strict enforcement of policies. Only then will walking on India’s roads become safer and more convenient.
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.