Delhi tries ‘car rationing’ to combat pollution

Delhi has introduced ‘car rationing’ in a bid to battle the Indian capital’s ongoing pollution problem, allowing drivers to use roads only on alternate days.
November 4, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Electric vehicles, public transport, emergency vehicles, taxis and two-wheelers are exempt - but the days on which people can drive other vehicles from 4-15 November will depend on their number plates, according to a BBC report.

Private cars ending in odd numbers will only be able to drive on odd days (e.g. 5 November, 7 November) while those ending in zero or even numbers can only use the roads on even dates (e.g. 4 November, 6 November).

The restrictions run from 8am-8pm, Monday-Saturday, with Sunday free for all. Vehicles which run on compressed natural gas are not exempt. Fines of 4,000 rupees ($56) will be levied on drivers who ignore the ban.

The system has been used before in Delhi, in 2016 and 2017, as levels of dangerous PM2.5 particles are well above recommended limits, the BBC says. But there are concerns that the car rationing scheme may not solve the problem – although it will reduce congestion.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the city has been turned into a ‘gas chamber’.

Delhi was among the cities signing up to a pledge on clearn air earlier this year. Air quality is an issue that has come to prominence in the ITS industry, with transport technology seen as having the potential to provide some of the answers.

The 1819 World Health Organisation says that nine out of 10 citizens around the world breathe dirty air, with seven million dying prematurely each year due to air pollution.
 

 

Air Quality & Weather Systems

Related Content

  • Speed cameras targeted by French ‘yellow vest’ protesters
    January 14, 2019
    Protesters in France have put more than half of the country’s speed cameras out of action, according to the country’s authorities. Interior minister Christophe Castaner said that almost 60% of France’s 3,200 cameras have been affected, the BBC reports. Castaner said that the cameras had been “neutralised, attacked, or destroyed” by ‘yellow vest’ protesters in a move which threatened road safety. Motorists are required by law to keep high-visibility vests, or ‘gilets jaunes’ in their cars. These yel
    Read More
  • Tata to supply Tritium DC fast chargers in India
    March 14, 2019
    Automobile components company Tata AutoComp Systems has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to supply Tritium’s chargers for electric vehicles (EVs) in India. Tata says Tritium’s Veefil-RT DC fast chargers supply power to a range of EVs, including two-wheelers, passenger and commercial vehicles. David Finn, co-founder of Tritium, says the MoU coincides with the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Hybrid and EVs) scheme. “The FAME policy is among the most progressive initiatives in the
    Read More
  • London more than twice over air pollution limit, says ClientEarth
    October 14, 2019
    Greater London is more than twice over the legal limit for air pollution levels in the UK, according to a study. Charity ClientEarth says the UK is failing to meet the legal limits of nitrogen dioxide pollution, where the annual average concentration level is 40µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre of air). Findings show London’s annual mean concentration of 89 µg/m3 is followed by South Wales (62 µg/m3), West Midlands Urban Area (58 µg/m3), Glasgow Urban Area (58 µg/m3) and Tyneside (54 µg/m3). The study f
    Read More
  • Taxi? Just pay by cryptocurrency
    May 13, 2021
    Cryptocurrency payments to be used for fares in 20,000 taxis in Scandinavia and 10,000 in UK
    Read More

Highlighted Content