City’s Car-Free Thursday campaign could go the Delhi way if companies approve the experiment.
1_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0_0.jpg "After Delhi, Hyderabad likely to test odd-even vehicle formula")
The odd and even number plate plan has been forwarded to various companies within the Hitec city area as planners claim it could cut nearly 50,000 vehicles from the roads, every Thursday.
With Delhi implementing the “odd and even” car rule to curb congestion on roads and pollution, Hyderabad might be next in line. The planners of the Car-Free Thursday Initiative say that they had the plan in place in late September. And the document Car Free Thursday Vision which has been sent out to all companies that come under HYSEA, the IT department, TSIIC (Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation), RTC, the traffic police, etc.
The document claims that having odd and even numbered cars plying on the road in the Hitec City area for a start could reduce the number of vehicles on each Thursday by 50,000. And it will be only two days in a month that you will be ditching your car. Vishala Reddy, spearheading the Car-Free Thursday drive, says, “Hyderabad started car free days. Even when Delhi or Gurgaon implemented car free days they had reached out to us.”
Prashanth Bachu, urban transport specialist with World Resources Institute, India, who prepared the document, explains how the implementation of the odd and even number plate rule could help. He says, “It’s already a standard practice in many cities across the world. It’s a great measure to reduce the number of cars on the road.”
They have noted two probabilities or suggestions — one with a parking restriction which basically means to alternatively allow cars with odd or even number plates inside office campuses or charge for parking. But instead of making it a rule and forcing all to follow it, they are asking IT companies to make it a rule. “It’s 100 times more efficient. Voluntary groups inside a lot of companies already campaign every Wednesday to create awareness about Car Free Thursday. Already, companies like iLabs and Polaris have built bicycle parking stations inside their campuses. So, the companies are definitely interested. They haven’t implemented it as employees might retaliate but we are trying to build an understanding here,” he says.
To make it appealing for companies, they have looked at more angles. “Many companies pay for parking space to the developers and they give away this space to the employees for free. If they start charging the employees and at the same time, discount the bus fares for others or give an incentive for those who come on a bicycle, it will be great,” says Prashanth.
But that’s not the only solution. “More public transport needs to be put in place,” says Vishala, while Prashanth adds, “We have to give priority to buses. As far as the odd and even numbered cars rule is concerned, it’s a short term measure. Research shows that many people in the country already have a second car or within a year, they can buy another one. But it’s a good strategy to start a discussion on vehicular traffic congestion and its problems.”
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
