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

  • Xerox kicks off ITS America San Jose in high gear with Wheels & Things
    May 26, 2016
    “Integrated Mobility. Transportation Redefined.” is the overall theme for ITS America 2016 San Jose, a new show representing this transformative moment in intelligent transportation. According to ITS America, the theme envisions our world tomorrow with integrated mobility systems turning our assumptions upside down, forcing us to reconsider the notions of how people travel and how goods ship.
    Read More
  • The UK’s busiest crossing adopts free flow charging
    April 30, 2015
    Colin Sowman looks at the transition to free-flow charging on the Dartford Crossing, a notorious congestion blackspot on the UK motorway network. The Dartford Crossing, where London’s orbital M25 motorway crosses the lower reaches of the River Thames 32km (20 miles) to the east of Central London, has long been a major source of congestion. Now, to alleviate the congestion caused by some 50 million crossings per year, the Highways Agency has adopted a free-flow charging system - but the Crossing’s location a
    Read More
  • Uber suspended from resuming Arizona self-driving tests
    March 28, 2018
    Arizona’s state governor Doug Ducey has ordered officials to suspend Uber’s right to test autonomous vehicles on local roads pending the outcome of inquiries by national transport safety regulations – in a report from the BBC. It follows a letter that Ducey sent to the car-hailing company in which he stated that there had been an unquestionable failure to make safety the top priority.
    Read More
  • Abu Dhabi restricts heavy vehicles on city roads
    February 19, 2025
    Integrated Transport Centre liaising with police to enforce new regulations
    Read More

Highlighted Content