Traffic congestion is the most important topic of discussion these days among the residents of Qatar.

Whether one lives in Doha and its immediate suburbs or in places such as Al Khor, Dukhan and Shahaniya, there is no escaping long queues of vehicles if the destination is Doha.

Ever since the schools reopened on September 10, all the key roads are in the capital city and its vicinity are clogged during the rush hours.

Trips that used to take 10 minutes could now take even up to one hour or beyond, if one gets caught in peak traffic.

Despite starting early, in many cases residents are unable to reach their destinations on time.

Increase in the number of vehicles beyond carrying capacity, obstructions due to road works and improper road manners of many motorists are among the key factors behind the acute congestion.

Brigadier Mohamed Saad al-Kharji, director of the Traffic Department, was on record the other day that the number of vehicles in Qatar had exceeded one million. The total number of registered vehicles in Qatar stood at 876,039 in 2012, according to official statistics.

This means, as many as 123,961 new vehicles have been added to the roads within nine months of this year, at the average rate of a 13,773 every month, whereas the 2012 average for new vehicles was only 5,138 per month.

The increase in the number of new vehicles is staggering and at almost three times the monthly average from 2012, it now exceeds the carrying capacity of the roads of Doha and suburbs, even from a layman’s perspective.

This is evident on Al Shamal Road, a vital link of the Qatar Expressway Programme and a major arterial thoroughfare, during peak hours from Sunday to Thursday, and due to a certain extent even on Saturdays.

All the way from The Mall signal to the Gharrafa area, the highway is clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The average speed on Al Shamal Road would be around 30kmh, as against the maximum allowed speed of 100kmh, and that too if there are no accidents.

Al Shamal Road is the preferred choice of tens of thousands of motorists who have to travel to the northern parts of the country and back, but the carrying capacity of its busiest portions has been exceeded.

Though Al Shamal Road has three lanes each in either direction, they are proving thoroughly inadequate during the rush hours.

Many motorists do not use indicators or move ahead promptly when the vehicle in front moves. A number of drivers also lose focus and end up hitting the vehicle in front if it abruptly stops for any reason.

Though the Traffic Department has implemented many measures, including deployment of more patrol vehicles and even a helicopter patrol, more needs to be done to alleviate the congestion on the roads.