The Delhi government had said that from Jan 1-15, cars with odd-numbered license plates would run on odd-numbered dates, and even-numbered cars would be allowed on the other dates.
Delhi is likely to see the return of the
odd-even traffic experiment, the government has announced today, claiming that "all independent experts and (government) departments" feel the scheme is worth reviving after assessing its impact at a meeting today.
The 14-day-long experiment ended on Friday, with some experts claiming that while it may have eased traffic on the roads, the odd-even scheme did not improve the toxic smog in the world's most polluted capital.
"If we make it permanent, then sales of second cars could increase," said Traffic Minister Gopal Rai, sharing what he described as two concerns about bringing back the traffic rules which banned private cars on alternate days. The other, he said, was figuring out how children could be transported by parents who do not use school buses.
For the trial that ended recently, schools were made to shut down.
"Once these solutions are found, we will decide the next phase," said the minister. On Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted that the odd-even scheme would make a comeback.
The Delhi government had said that from Jan 1-15, cars with odd-numbered license plates would run on odd-numbered dates, and even-numbered cars would be allowed on the other dates.
This morning, the first week day after the experiment ended,
some on Twitter said that without "odd-even", the capital's dreaded jams had blocked roads again. Some other commuters said the metro was far less crowded, now that car-users were back to driving to work.