Vehicle registration suspended in Hulhumalé

Registration of new vehicles in the capital’s suburb Hulhumalé has been halted after the artificial island reached the limit of its available public parking space.

The state-owned Housing Development Corporation, which oversees municipal services on the island, announced last week that only owners with private garages will be allowed to register new vehicles with effect from May 23.

The HDC asked people seeking to register vehicles to submit a form, which would be included in a registry to be used for adding new parking spaces.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 11,319 new vehicles were registered last year, an 11.6 percent rise from 2017.

This puts the total number of vehicles at 108,532, which includes 89,897 motorcycles, 6,325 cars and 2,931 pick-ups.

Some 9,038 new motorcycles were registered last year and the number is set to increase with the new Sinamale bridge connecting Malé and Hulhumalè favoring motorists over public transport.

About 90 percent of crimes reported from Hulhumalé last week were traffic violations. There were nine road accidents, 233 traffic violations committed by adults and two violations by minors.