Can cars with private number plates be used during traffic restrictions?

Struggles to limit pollution in India’s extensive capital area have sent some inhabitants dashing to an implausible source: their maths text books.

That’s because from the 1st January, the government of the national capital region of Delhi (run by a different faction to the ruling BJP at the centre) suggests that cars be permitted to run on alternating days, contingent on whether the last digit on the number plates are even or odd.

The numbers-based method is just one of many measures announced by the territory’s government to limit smog; the government also plans to close some power plants and clean up roads.

Worldwide, there are a number of tricks used by governments to restrict the number of cars on the highways. In Singapore, for example, would-be drivers must buy a documentation of entitlement in order to possess a vehicle and use road space for 10 years.

“A major step is that, predominantly in winter when pollution is in elevation, we will apply odd and even numbers of vehicle management. We will do our best to get it started on 1st of January. The next query, is how will people get around? Alternate provisions and extra transport measures will be created,” stated Delhi’s chief secretary K.K. Sharma.

“The next conference will be held by the chief minister on the 8th of December and we will then agree to whether or not we will keep it up for two, or three weeks.”

First-time guests to India are often shocked at the contamination in the city. Thick smog that interrupts flights and trains is a regular thing during winters. Still, the application will be a trial given the utter size of Delhi. The public transport system, in spite of significant progress in recent years, remains undersized when likened to other big cities, which means populations are deeply reliant on road vehicles.

And there are numerous inhabitants to cram onto that public transport too. Delhi had more than 16 million people as of 2011 and 2.7 million recorded cars at the end of March 2015, in accordance with the government data. If some of the adjacent towns are contained within, the populace in Delhi’s built-up areas would have been nearly 22 million, according to the 2011 survey.

It would seem that private number plates too are obviously going to be subject to their first initial letter of the plates. It’s still unclear whether or not a private number plates which begins with a number will cause problems, but we eagerly await the results. It’s great to see the governments doing their best to combat this vast amount of smog polluting the streets nowadays.