The Supreme Court’s proposal to limit vehicles in Delhi isn’t beyond the realm of technology but is difficult to implement

Many cities across the world have brought technologies to reduce traffic congestion, thus to also combat the pollution problem. Solutions have been manifold. London, for example, has put in place a congestion tax for those who enter the heart of the city. Likewise, in Beijing, cars, whose number plates end with two particular numbers, have to stay off the roads on particular weekdays on a rotational basis — a more evolved form of odd-even, one could argue. Further, many provinces in China have adopted the Singaporean model of restricting car ownership in the first place, having a lottery to see who can buy cars in addition to the egregious taxes on motor vehicles. While India has high taxes on motor vehicles, no city here has considered restricting vehicular access or charging for the same. But with traffic congestion becoming worse and, thus, vehicular pollution adding considerably to the breatheable air crisis across the country, solutions have to be found. It is here that the Supreme Court has suggested that car ownership be restricted to just two cars per family. Indeed, a laudable idea but one that will be almost impossible to implement given that many cars in the capital and elsewhere are bought through companies or leasing plans.

At the same time, traffic management is a shambles in India. This will make any scheme almost impossible to administer. However, this is slowly witnessing change with traffic authorities across the country taking action against offenders. The use of technology is vital. Recently, the Delhi Traffic Police, in association with Maruti-Suzuki, has installed traffic light monitoring cameras that can  read number plates and issue traffic fines automatically. This is not state-of-the-art technology but just a start. In Mumbai as well, a series of traffic cameras on high-speed stretches like the Bandra-Worli Sealink can monitor speeding and issue challans automatically. Similarly, it may not be a bad idea to use such cameras to monitor traffic restrictions as well, especially now when newer vehicles will have radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that can share data. Something akin to London’s congestion charge can be put into force in central Delhi or south Mumbai, with the proceeds going towards funding better public transportation options for those who have to give up their personal vehicles. But in many cities, where such schemes have been introduced, there was already an existing and highly dense public transportation system. While Metro systems are being built, and in some smaller cities in advance of demand growth, much more has to be done to improve the bus systems that ensure last mile connectivity because hair-raising rides on e-rickshaws are not feasible and in extreme climatic conditions, expecting commuters to walk even medium distances is not a viable planning solution. India does have a major opportunity though; newer developments in its urban areas do not have to be built around the cult of the car. Proper planning of public transport, both intra-urban and regional, can dramatically reduce the demand on Indian roads. Car users will not be happy with some of the proposed solutions, whether it is demand restriction through taxes, vehicular restrictions through odd-even plans or even congestion management. We have to start considering these solutions immediately.