Is Delhi Listening? These Cities Have Banned Cars Due To Pollution: The problem of Delhi’s air pollution is one of the worst in the world. Even today, the level of pollution remains “severe” with the air quality index at 492, in which the major air pollutants are PM 2.5 and PM 10.
However, Delhi is not the only polluted city in the world. There are many others on that list. It is being said that some of these cities are taking some harsh measures to ensure that pollution doesn’t result in the downfall of their city. And Delhi could use them as an example.
See The Initiatives of Car-Free Cities
1. Paris has banned cars in several central districts on weekends.
It has also introduced odd-even restrictions on vehicles. The capital of France has also made public transportation free during events that tend to increase pollutants’ level in the environment.
2. A German city, Freiburg has a 500 km bike routes, tramways, and a cheap public transport system.
Vauban, one of the suburbs, has made it illegal for people to park near their homes and makes car owners pay €18,000 for a parking space at the edge of the city.
In favor, people who live without cars, the city offers cheap accommodation, free public transport, and a bunch of bicycle spaces.
3. Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital has given priority to bicycles and now bicycles are more than people.
In most parts of the city, vehicles have been prohibited for decades. The city plans to become fully carbon neutral by 2025.
4. Norway’s capital, Oslo has proposed a no-car zone and plans to halve its climate emissions by 2020.
The country is also planning to construct 64-kilometers new bike lanes and introduce steep congestion charges including a traffic-jam charge from motorists.
5. Zürich, the Swiss city, has set a limit on the number of parking spaces and allows only a certain number of cars in the city at any given time.
Zurich is even building more car-free zones, plazas, and tram lines. The result shows a significant reduction in traffic jams and pollution.
6. Joining hands in the initiative, Bangalore is in process of converting the Petrol-Diesel 6,000 buses to be fuelled compressed natural gas.
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As per the reports, the city claims that it has reduced traffic pollution in the last few years by nearly 20% and one in every four people who used to travel by car now uses public transport.
7. Nearly 2 million people live in the Southern Brazilian city of Curitiba. But it has the world’s largest and most economical bus transportation system.
About 70% of the population goes to work by public transport and the result can be seen in its clear skies and traffic-free roads.
8. The capital of Finland, Helsinki has made plans to reduce the number of cars on its streets by spending money on public transport and by charging higher parking fees.
This action definitely encourages walking and plans to convert the inner city ring roads into residential and walking areas with a goal to make the city’s public transport so well that no one will want to own a car by 2050.
9. Beijing, the capital of China, has asked coal-fuel plants to reduce their emissions or change the coal with natural gas.
The city was being on target by the government to reduce its pollution by 25% in 2014. In order to achieve these targets, they restricted new coal-fired power plants in the most polluted areas of the region.
10. London introduced a ‘Toxicity Charge in 2017 to control the pollution created by vehicles.
Under the law, a ₹883 toxicity fees apply to older cars which emit more pollutants in the environment.
This law also includes the law ‘Congestion Charge fee’, under which drivers of such vehicles pay ₹1899 during the peak traffic.
Even Delhi has taken several steps to control its air pollution, but much more remains in fantasy. Probably, taking a chapter out of the books of these cities might help.