The number of vehicles on the Island's roads swelled to 51,258 in 1998, the Bermuda Digest of Statistics for 1999's chapter on transportation reports.

It marks the first time the number of vehicles on the roads has climbed above the 50,000 mark as 1997's recorded figure was slightly below with 49,746.

But both figures show marked increases over the recorded figure for 1996 when there were only 47,635 vehicles on the road.

A breakdown of the 1998 total shows there were 22,000 private cars; 725 buses, taxis and limousines; 3,513 trucks and tank wagons; 40 general haulage vehicles; 31 agricultural vehicles; 56 ambulances and fire engines; 88 construction vehicles; 55 Forces vehicles; 410 trailers; 10,750 auxiliary cycles; 13,500 motor cycles and scooters; and 90 "other'' vehicles.

All of these numbers were up on the previous year's figures but not all were the highest totals recorded for the past ten years.

Private cars, ambulances, fire engines, motorcycles and scooters categories set new record totals.

Other figures contained in the transportation section of the 1999 Digest show the total number of journeys made by passengers on public road transport slid from 4,821,696 in 1996/97 to 4,371,348 in 1997/98.

However the total number of receipts were up with $5,911,000 being taken in during the period from April 1, 1997 to March 31, 1998 while only $5,595,000 was taken in between April 1, 1996 and March 31, 1997.

Journeys on ferries showed a similar decline with a total of 560,423 trips taken in 1997 and 535,169 in 1998. Receipts were also hit with a drop from $1,196,000 in 1997 to $1,129,000 in 1998.