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MOTORINDIA
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April 2012
121
and road safety challenges that cur-
rently exist in this sector,” said the
report.
Here are some noteworthy points:
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Market size of auto-rickshaws
varies from around 15,000 to 30,000
vehicles in Tier II cities (popula-
tion between one and four million)
to more than 50,000 in Tier I cities
(population greater than four mil-
lion). Mumbai has the largest mar-
ket with around 150,000 auto-rick-
shaws.
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Auto-rickshaws serve 10-20 per
cent of daily motorized road trans-
port trips for people in Bangalore,
Mumbai, Pune and Rajkot.
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Production of auto-rickshaws in
India has doubled between 2003 and
2010.
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High concentration of particulate
matter less than 10 microns (PM10)
in Indian cities is a key public health
issue. Auto-rickshaws running on
two-stroke engines are a major con-
tributor to PM10 emissions.
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Contrary to popular belief, auto-
rickshaws are the second safest mo-
torized mode of travel (after buses)
for pedestrians, in terms of contri-
bution to fatalities, in both Mumbai
and Bangalore.
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However, safety of auto-rick-
shaw occupants is a key issue of
concern, due to mixed-flow traffic
conditions in Indian cities as well
as current vehicle design aspects,
which needs to be addressed ur-
gently.
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Meanwhile, the population of
Indian cities will grow from an es-
timated 340 million in 2008 to 590
million by 2030.
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road transportation