The number of motor vehicles in Nepal has increased by almost four times in the past 10 years, according to the Department of Transport Management.

In mid-April the number of motor vehicles had reached 263,500 nationwide. Of these, Bagmati Zone alone registered 148,500, of which 73 percent were private vehicles. Likewise, the number of motorcycles registered in the country has grown by more than 400 percent over the 10 years, and most of the increase has taken place in the Kathmandu Valley. Of the 147,100 in the country, 94,200 have Bagmati number plates.

According to the Department, over 100,000 vehicles ply on the streets of Kathmandu every day. Half of these are motorcycles. The narrow roads in the Valley and the large number of vehicles account for the slow speed of the traffic, leading to delays and higher vehicle operation costs. A study by the Department of Roads says that the average speed of vehicles on major Kathmandu streets is about 20 kilometres per hour.

Kathmandu Valley has 13,232 km of roads of which only 4073 km is black-topped. Experts say this is the reason behind the dust and haze that envelope the city during the dry months.