Slashdot Mirror
To Fight Pollution, New Delhi Restricts When Residents Can Drive (thehindu.com)
GillBates0 sent word that New Delhi, the capital of India, is growing increasingly bold with its attempts to fight air quality problems around the city. The metro area is home to over 21 million people, who own an estimated 8.7 million vehicles. On Friday, the government decided to divide the vehicle population in half, and ban each on alternate days. Starting on January 1, vehicles with odd-numbered plates will only be allowed on the road when vehicles with even-numbered plates aren't, and vice versa. "Emergency and public vehicles along with carpools will be exempt from the restrictions. The emergency meeting where the decision was taken ... came after a Delhi High Court observation that living in Delhi was akin to living in a gas chamber."
This already backfired in Singapore and the result was that lots of people went out and got a crappy second car; a crappy car that polluted even more. Or their kids got a car, or their wife, or they paid a neighbour, or whatever rule was put in front of them people went around around.
A far better way would be a big bloody toll with every dime spent on good public transport.