Banning all noncng vehicles not feasible, say city commuters
tral Pollution Control Board on Wednesday cited examples of Beijing and Paris that have enforced restrictions on private vehicles either according to number plate or by fuel type and age. But, all these cities have a robust transport network to fall back on. Beijing not only has five times the number of buses as compared to Delhi but its Metro network too is double the size of the Capital.
Amit Bhatt, director of integrated urban transport at World Resources Institute India said the measures to restrict car movement in these cities was after much planning and was not a “knee-jerk” reaction.
Transport experts also questioned why the EPCA was not pulling up the Delhi government for the sluggish implementation of the new mandatory stickers for vehicles that would help the traf- fic police segregate cars based on their fuel type. According to the Delhi government data, in a month, it has managed to disburse only around 28,000 such stickers.
Many cities in China use stickers to identify polluting vehicles on road and penalise car owners. “In Shenzhen, for example, the stickers or labels, as they call it, are based on the exhaust emission levels of vehicles. Vehicles failing to meet the standards are given a yellow label. The cars with yellow label are also not allowed to enter the ring roads that lead to the main city area,” said Bhatt said.
Road safety expert Dinesh Mohan, a former professor at IITDelhi, said such bans are “instant solutions” that are ‘undemocratic’ and ‘ineffective’ in the long run.
“We don’t need such solutions as we have been trying these for nearly 20 years. State governments and the Central government together should chalk out a detailed plan to curb pollution in the next five years. The plan should elaborate on measures that should be taken and explain how it will help in bringing down air pollution and by what percentage and have public hearings on the same,” Mohan said.
Experts in the transport planning department of SPA said the authorities instead need to introduce various mobility management measures, at least on a pilot basis. “Disincetivising single driven cars on selected corridors, introducing congestion charges, high parking fees, car-pooling and flexi work hours or staggered activity hours should be taken up rigourorsly,” they said. NEW DELHI: Delhi residents and commuters from the National Captial Region are worried by the proposal to ban non-cng vehicles as an emergency measure to check pollution levels. Calling the proposal “impractical” and “non-feasible”, they said if implemented, it would bring the national capital and its suburbs to a standstill.
The Sc-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has proposed a complete ban on nonCNG private vehicles in the wake of deteriorating air quality in the region.
According to residents, the proposed ban is not feasible given the lack of public transport options and poor last-mile connectivity from Metro stations.
B S Vohra, president, federation of east Delhi RWAS, said the city would come to a standstill if all non-cng vehicles are banned.
“How will people commute to work when buses are fewer than needed and the Delhi Metro is already overcrowded? It is best that the government declares a state holiday if such a measure is imposed and it has to be successful,” Vohra said.
Also, commuters said during winter, the streets are mostly deserted in the evenings and, hence, it is unsafe for women who work late hours.
Isha Malhotra, who travels from Greater Noida to Delhi every day for work, said she has odd working hours and is dependent on her vehicle to return home.
“I usually finish work by 9pm. In the absence of a well-connected mode of transport; it would be impossible for me to return home late night. In the day, I can take the Metro, but there is no last-mile connectivity available during late hours from the Metro station,” she said.
Juhi Kataria, a teacher, said the proposal should be implemented only after the state governments have sttrengthened the public transport system.
“The move will not only trouble Delhi residents but also lakhs of people residing in the NCR, who heavily rely on their own vehicles,” she said. 2 and 3 wheelers Trucks, tractors & LCVS Trucks (heavy & light) Private vehicles Car Buses Others: Construction, industry etc Three wheelers Others
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