[sustran] Bangalore may do a Bogota with vehicle holidays

[Vinay Baindur]

So is the BRTS still far behind? and the bus lane as well as the congestion
tax is even more in the dim distant and polluted future?


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Bangalore-may-do-a-Bogota-with-vehicle-holidays/articleshow/44788321.cms

Bangalore may do a Bogota with vehicle holidaysRohith B R,TNN | Oct 12,
2014, 06.17 AM IST


BANGALORE: Imagine the MG Road stretch cleared of cars, a bike-free Brigade
Road or the CBD area without autorickshaws, all for just a day. If
environment and ecology minister R Ramanath Rai has his way, Bangalore will
soon have vehicle holidays to battle pollution, end traffic clogs and
promote use of mass transport.

Many cities across the globe practise vehicle holidays where cars or bikes
are not allowed in specific areas. Bogota in Colombia has been a pioneer in
observing car-free days and in February this year, citizens here extended
the same into an entire car-free week, during which specific routes in the
city were completely closed for cars.

Officials in the state environment department said: "What we are planning
is to start with specific road stretches in the city to be closed for a
particular type of vehicle for a day, be it for bikes, cars or
autorickshaws. Also, to start with, we can experiment by keeping the
vehicle holiday as an awareness drive and encourage people to voluntarily
take part in the exercise," he added.

Ashwin Prabhu, manager, urban transport for EMBARQ India, a not-for-profit
organization working in the area of sustainable transport, described
vehicle holidays as a good strategy but wanted the authorities to ensure
enough credible and quality alternatives for commuters before implementing
the same. "For example, during a similar exercise in Paris recently, public
transport was made free of charge and frequency of such services were
augmented. Without a solid alternative, public will face inconvenience and
the initiative itself could backfire," he added.

Environmentalist Naveen KS said localized version of vehicle holidays are
also the key here. "Cities observe vehicle holidays for varied reasons.
While for some, such practices are inevitable to tackle pollution crisis,
for others it is a long-term strategy to cultivate green mobility among
masses. When it comes to Bangalore, strategies such as banning only odd or
even numbered vehicles for a day or blocking selected road stretches to
start with is good. Proper enforcement is also crucial," he added.

How Paris did it

In March this year, Paris city observed a different kind of vehicle
holiday. Smoggy conditions prompted by vehicular pollution haunted the city
throughout a week. The French government made a rule to allow motorists
with odd-numbered plates to drive in the city while others were asked to
share vehicles or use mass transport for that day. Next day, it was the
turn of vehicles with even numbered plates. Those who violated restrictions
had to pay a nominal fine and there were more than 700 cops deployed on
road to monitor the rule. As an incentive for people to avoid private
vehicles during this time, public transport, including metro rail service,
was made free for public!

The government later claimed that the experiment on alternative driving was
a success and there was considerable reduction in pollution levels.