MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Santiago’s streets congested with 42% of the total vehicles in Chile

Sales of new cars in the first quarter jumped 22%

More than one million vehicles circulate through Santiago’s streets, or 42% of the total vehicles in Chile. The expected increase of traffic in Chile’s capital, Santiago, is six percent for 2010, which will further increase traffic congestion and pollution particulary in winter months, experts say.

“Until there is a regulatory policy, it will be increasingly difficult,” said Louis de Grange, an academic at the Universidad Diego Portales.

“Increased travel times on all modes of transport, both private and public, obviously leads to increased pollution,” de Grange said.

More than 42% of Chile’s vehicles are concentrated in the metropolitan area, which means that more than 1.3 million vehicles are passing through the increasingly congested streets of Santiago, according to figures from National Statistics Institute (INE) for 2009.

The national automotive association reports that during the first quarter of this year there was an increase of 22.1% in vehicle sales compared with the same period in 2009, totalling 285,948 vehicles.

The fastest-growing community with increased traffic is the eastern sector of Santiago, with Las Condes totalling over 92,000 cars in 2009, 6,000 more than the previous year.

By Laura Burgoine – Santiago Times