Delhi: Congestion fee to unclog some roads?

NEW DELHI: You may soon have to pay congestion fee for driving on certain stretches, on the lines of some countries in the West. LG Anil Baijal on Friday asked the Delhi Traffic Police to explore the feasibility of levying such as charge as well as introducing one-way traffic on some roads.

The move is aimed at not only decongesting the streets, but also bringing down pollution levels. Special commissioner (traffic) Dependra Patahak said police would get in touch with experts, institutions and other stakeholders like PWD and the corporations to conduct a detailed study.

“The study will focus on exploring the feasibility aspect — apart from identifying the stretches and duration for which these two initiatives can be implemented, the infrastructure and manpower required will also be taken into account,” Pathak said.

Traffic officials said there were certain stretches that remained congested despite alternative routes being available. A congestion charge on such roads could prompt people to use those routes, an official said. “A two-way system means that only one half of the road is available. We will explore the areas where we can go for a one-way traffic system,” Pathak added.

Experts, however, asserted that for such a plan to work, the capital needed to emulate models abroad — instead of identifying single stretches, areas with multiple roads must be targeted. An electronic system would be required at all entry points — with manual collection a strict “no” as it would only cause more congestion outside these designated “congestion charge” zones, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, head of CSE’s clean air programme, said.

Singapore and London have introduced an electronic road pricing system where RFID tags are used to charge drivers on entering certain stretches. In Greater London, the scheme is implemented by tracking images captured by automatic number plate recognition cameras that help identify polluting vehicles.

Germany has a similar emissions zone where entry for polluting vehicles is banned. Singapore was the first city to implement ERP – a system where a smart card is installed in every vehicle with congestion charges automatically deducted.

Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, said initially, a pilot area must be chosen to test the idea. “We can have areas that only pedestrians can use. Entry of private vehicles can be banned in certain areas,” Ram said.