The boom in traffic in Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, in recent years tells a simple story: there are way more cars on the streets than there used to be.
Now, new figures released by the Myanmar Port Authority reveal the sheer size of the increase. Since 2011, when restrictions were relaxed, more than 670,000 cars have been imported into the country on more than 700 ships, 7 Day reported.
The 2012 to 2013 financial year brought the greatest number, with more than 180,000 cars imported on 158 ships.
“We are working at the port not to have a lot of cars at the same time,” an unnamed official told 7Day. “According to the law, if an owner didn’t pick up his car six months after it arrived at the port, there can be an auction for this car.”
The city has struggled to keep traffic moving amid the rise in vehicles on the road. The previous administration built many flyovers that were widely criticized as ineffective.
Former commerce minister Win Myint changed government import policy more than 12 times in five years, leading to confusion.
The new government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has said it will keep some of the previous policies but also invent its own, the Myanmar Times reported.
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