Shimla faces traffic bottlenecks after 1.54 lakh vehicles enter city in one week

A sharp rise in tourist arrivals amid high temperatures in the plains has led to severe traffic congestion in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla, with nearly 70,000 vehicles entering the hill station over the last three days. Police said more than 1.54 lakh vehicles entered the city during the past week, increasing pressure on the town’s traffic infrastructure.

According to police data, around 6.31 lakh vehicles have entered Shimla since May 1. Authorities stated that approximately 154,450 vehicles entered the city over the previous seven days, with nearly half of that number arriving within the last three days alone. The continuous rise in tourist traffic has resulted in bottlenecks across several routes in the town.

Shimla additional superintendent of police Abhishek said the district police had prepared a traffic management plan to ensure smoother vehicle movement. As part of the arrangements, 32 inspection vehicles known as traffic riders have been deployed across different routes to monitor congestion and respond immediately to traffic-related issues.

Police have also deployed interceptor vehicles to record moving traffic violations and enforce compliance with traffic regulations. The entire city has been divided into five separate sectors, with each sector placed under the supervision of a gazetted officer. Volunteers have additionally been enlisted to assist police personnel in maintaining traffic discipline.

Authorities said vehicles travelling towards Upper Shimla are being diverted from Shoghi through the Mehli route to reduce pressure on the main city roads. Police teams are continuously guiding tourists and residents about alternative routes and are also sharing traffic advisories, diversion plans and travel information through social media platforms.