Warsaw has an alarmingly high number of cars per 1,000 residents and the figure continues to climb, the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper has reported.
The growing number of vehicles causes traffic congestion, affecting air quality and noise levels, a spokesperson for Poland's Motor Transport Institute said.
An added problem is that many drivers in Warsaw own automobiles that are harmful to the environment, according to Marek Szolc, a city councillor.
At the same time, the influx of used cars is spinning out of control, in part of due to the government's failure to curb the number of imported vehicles, Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
Many cars brought into the country from abroad cost less than a mid-range computer, according to Szolc.
While many of the vehicles registered in Warsaw are company fleet cars that ply the streets of other Polish cities, thousands of commuters drive into the capital from the suburbs every day, the paper noted. These vehicles escape official statistics, but add to the city's traffic woes, it said.
(pjm/gs)
Source: Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Portal Samorządowy