[aaggoswami]

I was recently in Delhi on 3rd and 4th of this month on company tour.
Stayed at Paharganj as previous experiences of seniors where I work indicated that Paharganj is safest, not Faridabad.
This forces me to have a cab as my tasks are in Faridabad. Its around 40 kms. and traffic is just mad. It takes more than two hours now to reach my destination. 3 years ago it was two hours max., same route.
Honestly, something has to be done about it. Traffic was stifling, and God Forbid, in case of an emergency even the car door could not be opened as another car would be just an inch or two away. This was on first day.
Heavy vehicles are headache on Mathura road, the construction trucks are often dropping debris of its loading bay content on road. Means that other road users try to stay far away from these monsters. Most of other trucks were overloaded. And I did not come across a single bus that seemed to be well maintained. All buses emitted loud noises, had rear ends that are never in place. Broken rear panels seemed to be the norm.

Next day, had to visit Ballabhgarh, and the team there warned me to leave early as I was too focused on few issues to be resolved cause it was my reason for visit. Did not take them seriously.
Back on the road, after 30 mins I realized what they were saying. Absolute mayhem. Traffic was even worse. Switched on GPS to know where was I, thought that in a few moments outer ring road will arrive. Outer ring road was nightmare. Road was fully occupied by vehicles, very high vehicle density. Somehow, managed to catch the flight back.

Even with this, the rule of odd and even is an escape window. Petrol cars do not emit as dangerous exhaust fumes as diesel cars. Why not apply this odd even rule on for diesel cars ? Most of cabs are diesel, and applying odd and even rule on them makes much more sense in way to curb emissions. Metro till faridabad has not helped much it seems.

What is surprising is how insensitive an Indian citizen has become. I could see people talking on mobile all the time, driving slowly while doing so. An ambulance could not get ahead for more than 5 kms. Many, if not most, of the cars I could see had only one person. Smaller car should get more tax concession in NCR, that can be way ahead atleast for short term. The infrastructure of all major cities are crumbling. Even in my city which is much smaller the instances of higher traffic jams are increasing. Apart from pollution, imagine what an amount of human hours are lost on the road.

Along with logical and long term regulations, availability of cleaner fuel is must. Operating conditions is very taxing on vehicles in NCR, and tighter emission norms need to be implemented fast. HCV are often targeted and correct in a way, but what about vast industrial operations ? Are they checked ? Odd even rule is just another headache, lack of vision is apparent in the way Delhi Govt. has reacted. Why not be proactive ?
Optimizing school and office timings, if required, has to be done.
Growth is essential, but it has to be sustainable.

[Urban_Nomad]

Much ado about nothing gents. It WILL NOT get implemented, period! While it is a delhi (state) govt initiative, it will need to be implemented by the police, under jurisdiction of the central govt. we all know how well is that going to work

Anyhow, till such time they can keep those smoke belching trucks out of the capital, all other "initiatives" are moot

[aditya101]

Originally Posted by autobahnjpr

....
2) 1 km by walk takes about 10 mins and it is about 2 mins commute time between each metro station and each station is appx 1 km apart. So by the given logic, 16 mins by metro for 8 kms + 10 mins waiting time + 20 mins walks will total to about 46 mins. If one is lucky, one can save the 10 mins of waiting time. If one goes by car he/she will take about 30 mins, so the difference is about 15 mins each day for 3 days in a week. Also one can utilize the 16 mins of metro for doing some office work and will not have the strain of driving. Walking 2 kms daily is also good for health.
...

Commutes for distances upto 1 KM should be encouraged and be considered as routine for people. I am now in Dublin, where commuting by foot for distances upto 2.5 Kms is considered normal and routine.

We have a mental block against walking to a destination on foot.

Unfortunately Delhi and NCR is extremely unfriendly and unsafe for pedestrians:

- Broken foot paths
- Open gutters
- Open manholes
- Parked vehicles especially two wheelers
- Drooping over head cables
- No pruning of trees
- Large height difference from road (makes it difficult for older people)
- General Dhakka-mukki
- Road side cooking stalls

This is basis my personal experience, having commuted daily by metro as well as car.

The govt should focus on creating options for people. Nobody wants to be sitting in a car for 2-3 hours hanging on to dear life. If there are credible options, people will take them. Furthermore, car commutes have become very costly due to parking and fuel costs.

For example, in this year's monsoons, Gurgaon commuters used metro a lot - doubling the ridership for Rapid metro. Secondly, nowadays a lot of people car pool as well. Or at least they want to car pool.

Capacity and quality planning will automatically rationalize people's car driving habits.

Private companies should also play a role by ensuring disciplined timings and arranging cab services for all staff including senior ones.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Much ado about nothing gents. It WILL NOT get implemented, period!
Anyhow, till such time they can keep those smoke belching trucks out of the capital, all other "initiatives" are moot

Totally agree, the powers that be are acting in a predictable manner - grossly incompetent. The irony is that those who are complaining the most about this issue are the very same people who voted them to power!

There are a number of actions which need to be taken simultaneously to reduce the problem:

• curbing private vehicle usage
• keeping those trucks out
• curbing and controlling the use of diesel gensets in the city
• preventing people from burning cowdung cakes and other garbage during winter months
• shutting down polluting industries either temporarily or permanently

All these will go a long way in reducing the gas chamber crisis. I don't think it can even be called a simple pollution problem anymore.

In the meanwhile, every living being in Delhi NCR is smoking 40 cigarettes a day on account of this bad air.

The situation is not new. It was equally bad last year too and this year the air has been really bad since mid October. It's likely to get worse as winter sets in and continue till March/April unless something drastic is done to bring the levels down immediately.

[drsingh]

As the Aam Aadmi Party government plans to fight air pollution in Delhi by allowing private vehicles with odd and even numbers to ply on alternate days, a similar system that China’s capital has had in place since 2008 has been cited as one reason why the system may work.
However, Beijing did it differently in at least two important ways. Ahead of imposing vehicular restrictions, China’s capital built an extensive subway and public bus network in a three-year building spree.
Ahead of imposing vehicular restrictions, China’s capital built an extensive subway and public bus network in a three-year building spree

Ahead of imposing vehicular restrictions, China’s capital built an extensive subway and public bus network in a three-year building spree
The Chinese authorities also installed a sophisticated automatic surveillance system in the city using cameras to strictly enforce the rules rather than leave the task to the traffic police.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome...rt-system.html

[Chetan_Rao]

Nothing wrong with the idea in theory, but it's foolish to hope for success if proper viable alternatives are missing.

Traffic restrictions are a reality in lots of congested cities globally, but all those places make a concerted effort to provide safe, regular and reliable public transport system(s) to fill the gap, to the extent that cars aren't considered a commuting necessity even by reasonably affluent people. I have colleagues in major American and European metros who literally laugh at the idea of using personal transport for commuting. "What the heck for?" was one such colleague's crisp response when questioned on the topic.

We need to take a lot of vehicles off our roads for lots of reasons (traffic congestion and pollution are but two), but what about alternatives?

In my own city, Bangalore Metro is barely more than a tourist attraction nearly a decade after inception, while random ill-conceived and worse implemented road embellishments are in various stated of (dis)repair.

I put my money where my mouth is and sold my car earlier this year to take at least ONE single-occupant car off our roads. The administration's inability to give me any comfortable, regular and dependable long-term alternatives is forcing me to rethink my decision. I honestly don't want the commuter traffic torture again if I can help it, but it increasingly seems like I was the fool in trying to do my bit. :banghead:

[Rehaan]

A lot has been said in this thread and elsewhere about the likelihood of people using two numberplates to illegally circumvent a rule like this.

This just takes it to the next level

Source

[charanreddy]

Add to the long list of Stupid Ideas which does not involve any real work from the Govt.s, but want to look like they are doing 'something'.

Enforcing Stricter pollution checks and getting polluting vehicles off the road should have been first priority.

Putting in place better public transport which is usable and caters to most should have been second.

Investing for better road infrastructure should have been third.

Govt. now mints money inform of road tax, VAT on sale of Cars etc. How about using some of this money to encourage electric cars ? Or removing tax completely on motor cycles to encourage this.

All this rule will do is encourage folks to buy a second car, not necessarily new, but an old alto or zen in about Rs 1 Lakh.

Dear Govt., The working class is suffering enough. Please do your job and bring about ways to make it better. Not 'punish' hard working folks for living and aspiring for a better life.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Actually, most of the laws you've quoted make a lot of sense. It's just that they've been presented under the guise of being crazy -- and also that they haven't been explained.

Actually my first reaction to this odd-even rule was "What took so long?" It's not unprecedented, and Delhi does seem the right choice to try something like this, what with its metro having extended pretty much everywhere (unlike other cities where it is barely there). If sensibly implemented by excluding weekends, being sensitive to special cases, etc. this is actually not a bad way to reduce traffic. At the bare minimum it will wake me up to the idea of car pooling or taking public transport or at least mass transportation like the company bus. In my case I candidly confess the latter option has been available to me for much of the past 12 or so years and it's been barely used.

Glasses get lost. Glasses get broken. Why risk being effectively blind - leaving you stranded or dangerous on the roads, when for a few bucks you can have a backup set of eyes tucked away in your glovebox.

This extra pair is probably useful off the road as well. Eg. glasses break at work - no problem! I have another pair in my car downstairs!

Actually, even those with moderately "bad" vision should keep a spare pair handy. I have only recently started doing this. Can manage most normal activities but reading signs, night-time driving etc. are a challenge if something happens.

Originally Posted by Maxthrottle

1. One more thing What if my car number ends with 0.

I hope you're joking. A number ending with zero is EVEN. In fact even zero is even.

Originally Posted by sinharishi

Really? I live in Indirapuram and used to travel daily to Gurgaon ,that is about 50kms one way. 95% of the times I took the shared autos and metros. Travelled during peak hours. Situation is nowhere as bad as you have described.

The way you have described your metro experience seems exaggerated. Wonder how will you describe Bombay local trains.

Absolutely. Which ties in with my point about Delhi being right for this experiment. Unfortunately the political aspect of it will overshadow all else and it will probably be consigned to oblivion sooner rather than later.

Originally Posted by avdhesh15

Utter nonsense. Banning private vehicles (which IMO aren't major contributors to pollution) isn't going to help. Ban the major culprits, i.e. trucks, old vehicles etc to start with rather than this unpractical and unimplementable step.

Didn't the conversion of all public buses to CNG help reduce the smog situation in NCR considerably? Delhi has a crazy number of cars- maybe this is teh sort of thing needed to shock people into action?

Originally Posted by aditya101

I am now in Dublin, where commuting by foot for distances upto 2.5 Kms is considered normal and routine.

We have a mental block against walking to a destination on foot.

Unfortunately Delhi and NCR is extremely unfriendly and unsafe for pedestrians:

- Broken foot paths
- Open gutters
- Open manholes
- Parked vehicles especially two wheelers
- Drooping over head cables
- No pruning of trees
- Large height difference from road (makes it difficult for older people)
- General Dhakka-mukki
- Road side cooking stalls

Great point raised! I spent a couple of years in Singapore and found that city so pedestrian-friendly that walking a couple of kilometres to do your weekly grocery shopping top-up or even commuting to work (at least partially) was the norm for us. Anyone who complains about Indian climate needs to note that Singapore is equatorial and pretty much 30 deg C throughout the year!

Originally Posted by Rehaan

A lot has been said in this thread and elsewhere about the likelihood of people using two numberplates to illegally circumvent a rule like this.

This just takes it to the next level

Hilarious But it's also a sad reflection of the society we live in that our first reaction seems to be how do we bypass this? In my case I gleefully told a colleague that if this rule ever came to Pune I am set because my cars are odd and even numbered

[compenn]

My Suggestion,

Delhi Govt should charge Rs 500 per day from any car owner who wants to use a car on particular day. It would act as a deterrent. You are free to use your car for 24 hours once you pay Rs 500 per 24 hours and get a receipt which you carry in your car.

Leave 2 wheelers for a month since they use petrol and not diesel. Test Rs 500 car method for a month and if pollution still does not reduce implement it for 2 wheelers too with Rs 200 per day as the fees/pollution tax.

Benefits of 500 formula:
1. Instead of buying 2nd car people can pay Rs 500 per day. This does not add a 2nd or 3rd car on the road.
2. Govt earns a revenue of 500 per car per day which can be used in its drive against pollution.
3. Since women security is a concern, women are free to use their car by paying 500 per day, though in night shifts official cabs are usually provided to women.
4. People working in night shifts will be able to reach back within 24 hours in which they've paid RS 500.

Basically any day you wish to use your car just pay Rs 500 per 24 hours and use it freely.

[jaaz]

75% of New York residents don't have a Car, because they don't need one.

Improving Public transport and footpaths are the long term solutions to the ever growing traffic.

Bangalore has relaid some of the roads with wider footpaths under TenderSURE programme. It's a good initiative, but only If we follow the rules of not occupying the footpath either for riding, occupying or parking.. Such kind of footpath and continuity will encourage people to walk on the footpath and avoid short rides.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

A lot has been said in this thread and elsewhere about the likelihood of people using two numberplates to illegally circumvent a rule like this.

This might be just a joke doing the rounds, but heard from local friends in Delhi that they might just probably invest in extra set of fake plates and use it on the alternate days to circumvent the rule. Not sure if they thought it out properly but might be doable.

Pretty sure the cops are not going to be able to validate the plate numbers on the road. Only effort is to change the plates on a daily basis.

[prakhar1998]

Yes, a big move like this is much needed. Delhi is literally choking and drastic step are required to help Delhi and NCR regain its breath.

However, a much more important step before initiating this policy is enhancing public transportation. No, I am not criticising Delhi's public transport. It is highly efficient, but it lacks the sheer number that it needs to support such a massive population.

First things first, a complete revamping of our pedestrian support system is required. Yes, Delhi is one of the greenest cities in the world, but no we don't need overgrown trees on our footpaths and sidewalks preventing people from travelling on them. Our footpaths are in shambles, with half of them being broken, encroached or simply so high up the ground that they are unusable. Bike-lanes are unused because they are simply non usable because of poor designs or people simply encroaching them for sleeping etc.

Then, the perception that walking or cycling for a commute is down market and for the poor needs to be eradicated from the minds of the people.

More buses need to be added which I believe is already happening, but well, no number of buses is enough.

All in all, a step in the positive direction. Maybe, a new organisation needs to be formed that just focuses on enhancing public transport and non motorised forms of transportation.

I think one highly efficient and green form of last mile connectivity extremely valid in Delhi is the cycle rickshaw. It makes complete sense and our government needs to push it more.

[coldice4u]

The plain simple fact is that we have way too many cars. Face the fact that we are the second populous nation in this world. We just cant afford everyone having a car. With such a high density of population, the answer lies in transport systems which are more efficient in moving large numbers. And we already know about such systems.. buses.. metro.. But buses cant ply smoothly or take up too much time.. and why... cause we have too many cars on the road. or may be people are way too snobbish.

A time will have to come when we implement something like what happens in Singapore. Mean while car companies go gaga in their sales presentation with numbers like low per capita of car ownership. Just makes no sense !

Hard steps will have to be taken. Just cause you have moneybags cannot entitle you to adding another piece of machinery to the road.

[Grr7]

Funny to see such adverse reactions to a good thought of Odd-Even(yet to materialize as a Plan). The typical scenario with all people reacting adversely to the idea is:

- Do you face pollution problem in Delhi: Yes
- Do you want to reduce/eliminate this pollution problem: Hell Yes
- Do you have any solution in mind: Umm, what's that?
- Do you support the experimental solution worked on by Delhi Govt: A big NO

And then all hell breaks loose, right from attending office to attending an emergency to attending a funeral!

Alarmingly high levels of pollution in Delhi are a big cause of concern. And if we can't devise a solution ourselves, let's not deny steps taken in the right direction by others.
We, as stake holders in Govt can always suggest ways/methods to improvise the Odd-Even solution. But rejecting that outright without even hearing the plan is plain foolish.
We can criticize something only after knowing it completely.

And if there is a lil/high inconvenience we Delhi junta would suffer from this, it would be for our collective good. Everyone gets to breath the same air, whether he contributes to the cause or not.