Skip to main content

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.

 

 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Natural Gas vehicle sales to increase at a healthy pace
    May 21, 2012
    Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) have been available to varying degrees since the 1970s, and earlier in some parts of the world. Despite this long history, adoption varies significantly from region to region, with NGVs used mainly for commercial vehicles in North America and parts of Western Europe and for consumer markets in parts of Asia and the Middle East. The primary growth drivers in these countries are the favorable economics of natural gas, the reduction of oil imports, the environmental benefits of lowe
  • Daktronics drives adoption of colour DMS in US
    September 7, 2014
    Daktronics is driving the adoption of full colour dynamic message signs (DMS) in the US. The company recommends colour signage, because drivers recognise colour graphics more quickly than text-only monochrome signs. The ultimate result is safer and more efficient roadways.
  • ITS World Congress looks to new horizons in Montréal
    March 29, 2017
    ITS World Congress 2017 will highlight transformational technologies, integrated mobility and smart cities. “Today’s global transportation industry is at a transformational tipping point,” says Regina Hopper, president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America).
  • California city brings Covid filters to buses 
    February 17, 2021
    Airlabs' devices remove more than 95% of airborne viruses, City of Turlock says