Car boom brings gridlock misery to 'green' Bhutan

THIMPHU, July 24 (AFP): Famed for valuing Gross National Happiness over economic growth, Bhutan is a poster child for sustainable development.

But booming car sales may impact efforts to preserve its rare status as a carbon negative country - and an increase in traffic is testing the good humour of its citizens.

Bhutan has seen a more than five-fold increase in cars, buses and trucks on its roads in the past two decades, according to transport authority director general Pemba Wangchuk with capital Thimphu hardest hit by the influx of vehicles.

Phuntsho Wangdi, a media consultant, says the congestion and lack of parking now makes driving stressful in the tiny Himalayan kingdom where there are no traffic lights.

"I wish there were fewer cars. It wasn't like this before," he adds of life in Thimphu, which is home to half the cars in the country.