Test traffic restraint system, HC tells state

“Be open to experimentation,” the Bombay High Court told the state government while hearing a PIL seeking the implementation of the Traffic Restraint System (TRS) on Wednesday.

The state government had earlier told the court that the system is not practical, to which justice Bilal Nazki on Wednesday said, “Why are you averse to experimenting?” He suggested that the government implement the system from one point in the city to another for at least a month and then test its viability.

Under the TRS, which would be applicable during peak hours, vehicles with number plates ending with numbers 1 and 2 would be barred entry into the island city on Mondays, number plates ending with numbers 3 and 4 will be restricted entry on Tuesdays, 5 and 6 on Wednesdays, 7 and 8 on Thursdays and 9 and 0 on Fridays. Government and police vehicles, ambulances and emergency vehicles would be exempt from the ban.

“If it has not been implemented anywhere else, let Mumbai be the first,” Nazki said. He added that such a system already exists in Singapore and Tokyo. Nazki attributed the traffic congestion in the city to 10% of the population of Mumbai that owns cars. “Why should 90% suffer because of 10%?” Nazki said.

Government pleader SK Nair, however, said that the system will mount pressure on the public transport. The Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) in its PIL pressed for the implementation of the scheme first proposed by a committee headed by former transport commissioner VM Lal. The committee had come up with “100 ways to reduce Mumbai’s vehicular pollution”, one of which was the TRS. BEAG’s counsel Shiraz Rustomji said, “Ultimately some sacrifice is called for.”

Justice Nazki and Justice VK Tahilramani have asked the state government to inform the court in one week whether or not it would experiment with the TRS in the city.
Enforcement next to impossible: Experts

According to transport experts and planners, curbing private vehicles by selectively prohibiting entry to cars may sound logical, but the ground-level enforcement of the scheme appears next to impossible. When asked whether such a proposal was under consideration for agencies such as the Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU), its director UPS Madan said that since the Bombay High Court has suggested trying it out on one road, it should be tested. “However, as of now, MTSU’s focus has been on looking for options which would improve the public transport in the city. We have so far not concentrated on thinking about how to curb the number of private vehicles,” Madan told DNA.

Another senior state government official, who did not want to be named, was of the opinion that such a practice would lead to chaos. “Though it’s a fact that the odd number-even number theory has been successfully applied in some cities across the world, it is not possible to implement in Mumbai. There are a number of vehicles who come into the city from other states and cities. How will authorities tackle them? There are several thousand vehicles parked on city roads due to lack of parking space in residential areas. Where will these motorists park? There are a number of motorists who own more than one car. They may end up using their second car, thereby defeating the purpose of less usage. Segregating cars would also be a mammoth task,” said the official.