Lucknow currently houses a population of almost 2.5 million in an area of around 162.7 sq km. It is the political and administrative capital of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India and has always been a major trading city of the north. The growth of Lucknow in recent years has resulted in huge demand for transport. Transport infrastructure, however, has not grown correspondingly and is therefore highly inadequate leading to a dramatic rise in the number of vehicles.