[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by fine69

By the way, most of my friends in my close whatsapp group have decided to get another set of number plates made because the cops aren't going to stop cars and check their registration papers. When I thought about it, they are actually right, cops aren't going to stop them and all they have to do is swap the plates every night.

At the end of the day, you're only shooting yourself in the foot. The air you breathe is the same that everybody breathes, unless of course, people have begun ordering pure air cylinders.

A number of my friends on whataspp have been complaining about the pollution as well as the measures to fix it.

As a certain gent said: 'Be the change you want to see in the world''

Good luck.

[harry10]

5000 bucks for this idiotic rule violation. Commendable job indeed. All it will do is make traffic police happy as people will get off by paying 500-1000 bucks .Ridiculous. None of this is gonna help our pollution problem. Everyone who has a single car and need to go to work daily can't be happy about this as its going to mess up the whole schedule.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by fine69

By the way, most of my friends in my close whatsapp group have decided to get another set of number plates made because the cops aren't going to stop cars and check their registration papers. When I thought about it, they are actually right, cops aren't going to stop them and all they have to do is swap the plates every night.

I only hoped you were kidding about the tampering your friends are in the process of achieving, but I guess sadly you are serious. I agree at the end of the day, that these rules have been enforced in a big manner and with little notice when in fact the city has long been facing a conflict with pollution. I also won't be wrong in saying that such measures are in violation of democracy in some part (though it is being done in an attempt for general good).

My point here is that your Whatsapp group friends are about to commit Class A violation of traffic rules by doing so. I simply cannot get to grips with what would happen if others read this and followed suit. A registration plate is the only unique identifiable aspect of a motor vehicle, which would help others in determining violations or enable recovery when stolen. Desperation is certainly not a reason to commit this level of offence, its better to bear the brunt of the new rules for at least the first 2-4 weeks, the government which would be actively monitoring might do the needful or even reverse the rule if its not effective. As citizens all we can do is protest new rules (howsoever crazy may they be), but we certainly shouldn't circumvent them. The cops might not stop them, not all of them but if one of them does get caught for one reason or the other then its trouble all the way, not to mention that some other vehicle possessing a similar number plate which your friends might've duplicated inadvertently in the process of generating even/odd number would land in trouble for violations committed by them.

Maybe they shall choose not to do so, but still I hope that you try to teach them the wrongness of it all just to be sure. I know its a big city and people need to travel.. but circumventing will just make matters 100x worse. Just protest the rule and the Delhiites will be heard.

[Masda]

Delhi Govt. to add 10,000 new auto licenses.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle7984618.ece

Now, will these additional autos plus DTC buses plus single women drivers plus 57,00,000 two wheelers not cause pollution, congestion, or whatever the 'Sarkar' is trying to solve? Apparently, all yellow plates are being exempted from this odd-even formula. Well, have we done a study to measure avg emissions from commercial car Vs a personal car? No sir! We just implement what other world-class cities have done, regardless of how our population:infrastructure ratio looks like!

Has anyone done a cost analysis of what their general home-office-home commute would look like if this plan does get implemented for good?

For those (such as me), who need to drive their wife and kids (every day) to office and schools, is travelling by Metro a viable option when the peak hour metro commute looks like this?



Have the decision makers taken into consideration, the average distance Delhiites need to travel to get to the nearest Metro station/Bus stop?

Yes, pollution is a genuine problem that needs immediate attention. Period. However, measures such as these DO NOT address the root cause; they are just temporary fixes. Delhi certainly deserves better than this!

Has anyone talked about Delhi's population yet, the ever growing immigrant population, that just adds to the number of illegal constructions, shanties, and homeless people?

Hard fact -- our infrastructure cannot keep up with the pace at which the population is growing. No matter how many buses, autos we add, there's only so much a city can grow!

But then keeping the burgeoning population in check is too sensitive a issue. So to circumvent that, lets ban half the number of cars. For those with the means, can always buy an extra car. That's adding to the state's revenue, any ways! Well done, sir!

So what's next, when this fails and pollution continues to increase? Complete ban on cars and bikes on all days? Going back to stone age would be fun, I tell you.

[phamilyman]

Here's another idea - If they just stopped and fined the bejeezus out of every road / apartment construction project (like the Rapid Metro or NH2 or NH8) for excess dust due to shoddy construction standards - you might achieve a comparable reduction, or even more! Ditto for enforcing zero on-road parking.

PS: Adding autos is not the solution. You need more buses. IMHO a lot of delhiites need long distance commutes. Autos will create more jams unlike buses which are more space efficient. At the very least, my expectation from an IIT-IRS chief minister was to use study data to direct the appropriate creation of resources, not just be seen as doing stuff for its own sake, running on pure whims and well-meaning fancies.
PPS: Once the new autos are here and the odd-even rule breaks down, then what? They can't go back to the manufacturers? Things need to be thought through. This is looking more and more like a Salman venture - “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di... uske baad main apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta!” (once I commit to something, I don't even listen to myself).

[extreme_torque]

Unless they are really committed to improving the public transport and sticking with the odd-even idea no matter what, adding new Auto's is a terrible idea because you simply cannot go back if the scheme doesn't work. Who's to say which one pollutes the most, a well maintained personal car or a poorly maintained auto even if it runs on CNG?

That said, I think the government is keeping an open mind about this. The CM has gone on record to say that if it doesn't work then they will look at alternate solutions. They are already working on vacuum cleaning the roads of dust, redesigning roads and bringing in strict rules with regards to construction project.

[Masda]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The CM has gone on record to say that if it doesn't work then they will look at alternate solutions.

"If it doesn't work...". Unfortunately, the honorable CM has not defined any benchmarks for success or failure; much the same way he has not disclosed any scientific hypothesis to conclude that the odd-even experiment is going to work. So far their approach sounds like -- "because it worked in city X, it will also work in Delhi."

To me, it sadly looks like an experiment with the 'Aam Admi' (common man!). Pun intended.

Alas, though not everyone is upset. At least, the vote bank that matters is celebrating.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Masda

Delhi Govt. to add 10,000 new auto licenses.

Ah so the plan is to remove about a few lakhs of private vehicles each day from driving a couple of hours in Delhi's roads and replacing them with an extra ten thousand cng buzzards driving close to 16 hours a day and also ten thousand extra buses with massive diesel engines belching thick smoke for the large part of the day? Got it.

Looks like the yellow board lobbyists and public transport vehicle manufacturers are hard at work.

[Tanmay K]

Delhi Govt. to add 10,000 new auto licenses.

That's a bit of lame solution. There are two major problems with autos that the government has not been able to solve:

- Autowalas refusing to go to destinations that inconvenience them.
- Not going by the metered fare. You can expect to pay up to 50-100% on top of the actual fare depending upon your negotiation skills.

Simple demand and supply: autowalas can now charge through-the-roof rates because these additional 10k autos will take time to start operating in the city.

I've not had to take an auto in more than a year and a half, thanks to Uber/Ola, so I'm not sure what this situation is like at present; maybe it has improved, maybe not. Ola and Uber are probably more expensive than autos (or not), but at least I feel better about not being ripped off on a daily basis.

[raghu.t.k]

Originally Posted by Masda

Delhi Govt. to add 10,000 new auto licenses.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle7984618.ece
....

This looks more political rather than a solution. In reality they need to see if the Buses and Metro's could accommodate the extra crowd, and if the last mile connectivity could be done in a better way. Allowing more autos, seems to be asking for more trouble.

[Speed Pujari]

I welcome this decision whole heartedly.
Its a human nature to resist changes especially if it hurt their convenience.

The best thing that will happen to Delhi is people will get disciplined. Jargons like 'Car Pooling' which was a buzzword for geeky startups will become a solid necessity.

If there is less traffic then people will come up with innovative ideas. Bicycle will become a fashion statement just like smartphones.

I went through this thread and am a little concerned with negative comments. Odd-even is not THE solution, but it is one of the solution and I think once people start witnessing change then they will start welcoming this idea.

How many average number of people do we see in a car during peak hour? 1 person in an Innova or endeavour? Seriosly?

Parents who have to send their kids to school will group up and hire a Van carpooling their kids to school. Their parents taking public transport to office.

I am hoping this happens to Bangalore despite of the fact that both of my cars have odd numbers. I like many here are ready to give up the comfort to make Bangalore a better place to live and 'breathe'.

[Masda]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

I welcome this decision whole heartedly.
Its a human nature to resist changes especially if it hurt their convenience.

Trust me, a lot of Delhiites on this forum (including me) who are resenting against this idea would happily give up their cars, IF there was a credible public transport available. Sadly there is none. We would equally be whole hearted in our acceptance of this decision if it was getting implemented in some other city. Apologies in advance for the unabashed sarcasm!

In lighter vein:
To your point on using cycles:- with additional buses being pressed into service, not to mention additional Taxis and Autos on the road, I think it will definitely help address at least one of the causes for pollution, i.e. population. This idea alone, will be enough to reduce Delhi's population to a great extent.
Pedestrians, two wheelers, and Cyclists have the highest fatality rate on Delhi's roads. source:http://easts.info/on-line/proceedings/vol9/PDF/P272.pdf. This data may be slightly dated, but it is 100% relevant.

For those who will survive the first few weeks of cycling to their destinations, will either quit venturing out fearing for their safety or relocate to cities that still allow personal cars. Not to forget our beloved summer months when temperatures hit 45 degree celsius consistently (night and day).

Can Delhi do a Copenhagen (considered, a biking haven)? Theoretically, YES! If it can do a Sao Polo, Mexico, and Beijing it can perhaps do that too.

[hybridpetrol]

With news that Delhi Government might shut down schools from Jan 1 to Jan 15, pulling this off (making odd even a successful one, in Government terms) may not be very difficult.
Schools, Colleges, and Workplaces contribute majority of the traffic. If you have removed Schools out of it, the need for transporting kids comes down to nil. So, nobody needs to take their kids to the schools, and bring them back home. This cuts down majority of the need for people movement. When schools are shut down, peak time two wheelers, three wheelers, Omni, and even some cars will be absent on roads. This also brings down the need for movement of women on road during the day time.
If they are testing something, it has to be real time, right? How do they know whether the system really works or not, if you close down institutions, and test in a holiday mood?
I think these may be one of the ways to make things "easy" here so that they can declare that the system works perfectly fine!
They can even declare Government supported Bandh for these 15 days, so that whoever follows the rule or not, the roads will still be empty!

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

With news that Delhi Government might shut down schools from Jan 1 to Jan 15, pulling this off (making odd even a successful one, in Government terms) may not be very difficult.

Exactly. They can now manage to pull off a one-time event, long term feasibility be damned. What's the point of it?

This is the exact opposite of what common sense would suggest - one should ideally try out a new operational procedure to a higher degree of load than ever experienced in the system under most cases, to be sure of it!

Oil platforms are designed to withstand 100-year storms - god forbid if they are tested delhi govt style, only in pleasant weather.

[landcruiser123]

Adding more 10,000 more autos is like creating 1000 more problem while trying (and failing) to solve one problem.

Originally Posted by djpeesh

As a certain gent said: 'Be the change you want to see in the world''

Considering only 10% of the pollution is due to vehicles, do you suggest that we start building pavements and cleaning roads? I know we have Youth for Parivaratan and many organisations alike, but the government has employed people to do the job.