Transport policy in Oman

In 1970, only 10 km of asphalt road and neither a modern airport nor a major seaport existed in Oman. However, by 1996, there were more than 6500 km of asphalt roads, two major seaports and two international airports. The number of motorised vehicles had grown from almost zero in 1970 to nearly 360,000 in 1997. In that year, the total number of private cars reached 200,000 with a population of only 2 million, so leading to a car density of one car for every 10 inhabitants. However, on Omani roads, nearly 550 lives were lost in 1997 together with nearly 7300 people being injured: the majority of those adversely involved were youths. Air quality in Oman is within acceptable international standards. Oman should seek to benefit from other nations’ traffic-management experiences so as to avoid the likelihood of chronic congestion occurring on Oman’s roads.