What Delhi must do next

Abstract

Odd-even policy took on pollution. Now address congestion. As an initial measure to tackle pollution, the odd-even rule was a great move. Considering that short-term bans have worked in Paris and Beijing, and that the experiment was explicitly temporary, much of the English media has been unfairly critical. One study that found cars account for little of Delhi’s pollution was repeatedly cited. But evidence on sources of pollution is generally not that reliable, as evident from the conflicting readings. Further, cars lead to more road building and more polluting road dust.

Even if pollution can be tackled by cleaner fuels, that does not solve the perennial problem of congestion. Without restrictions, travel time just rises. According to a study done for Bangalore by the Consortium of Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers, the average speed on specified routes dropped from 35 kmph in 2005 to 9.2 kmph in 2014. Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/what-delhi-must-do-next/