Skip to main content

Traffic congestion plan for Delhi

India's capital Delhi looks set to see the introduction of a congestion charging scheme. The city authorities plan to launch the scheme in a bid to tackle endemic traffic congestion.
April 26, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Delhi has need of some form of traffic control as its vehicle population has doubled to 6.8 million in just five years. PICTURE: Neeraj Singh.
India’s capital Delhi looks set to see the introduction of a congestion charging scheme.

The city authorities plan to launch the scheme in a bid to tackle endemic traffic congestion. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is aiming to charge INR 150 ($2.87) for cars, motorbikes and even rickshaws entering the centre of the city during peak daytime periods. The city authorities have watched the benefits to traffic control in London and Singapore following the introduction of congestion charging schemes. At this stage it is not clear what technologies will be used but given the experience gained with the schemes in London and Singapore and various other cities (such as Oslo and Stockholm) it seems like that Delhi will benefit from a second generation system that will operate relatively efficiently. Introducing such a scheme in Delhi will see traffic control on a much larger scale than ever tried before however and there will be numerous technicalities to deal with in the process.

Both Beijing and Shanghai are considering congestion charging to help deal with endemic traffic problems at present as well. Delhi certainly has need of some form of traffic control as its vehicle population has doubled to 6.8 million in just five years, despite the introduction of a new metro system and extensive bus transport in the city. Traffic jams and delays have become routine in Delhi and despite the switch to LPG for buses and other diesel powered vehicles some years ago, air pollution is a growing problem.

Related Content

  • Hungary may introduce Budapest congestion charge
    January 16, 2015
    Hungary is considering introducing a congestion charge scheme to capital Budapest at the end of 2016. The aim of the scheme is to cut congestion in the city, with traffic jams and delays frequent particularly in the historic centre. The scheme will also help generate revenue that will pay back EU funding worth some €565.2 million, which was used to pay for the construction of the M4 underground line in the city.
  • Tackling India’s road safety will reduce crash rate
    February 19, 2013
    India’s road safety record is the world’s worst but there are plans to tackle the problems. Patrick Smith reports from New Delhi. A speeded up video of a short section of road in the Indian capital Delhi was followed by a question. “How many infringements did you count in that 25-second clip on a typical day in Delhi,” asked Dr Rohit Baluja, a question that brought understandable silence. It equated to hundreds of millions of infringements each year, said Dr Baluja, president, Institute of Road Traffic Educ
  • India pushing ahead with infrastructure projects
    July 4, 2012
    Despite the economic downturn, India looks to be pressing ahead with its major infrastructure projects to further boost its incredible growth. Patrick Smith reports India, which like most countries has been affected by the current economic climate, although not to the same extent, is pressing ahead with its ambitious highway construction plans. Each week new projects are completed, started or awarded as the nation seeks to improve its transportation requirements. These are needed to meet the aspirations of
  • Smart traffic management market potential is the global future
    July 20, 2012
    According to a new report from ABI Research, as the global population hurtles past the seven billion barrier, more and more people are living in cities than ever before. This is especially true of developing countries which account for 20 of the world’s 27 megacities. With above average levels of population and economic growth in these regions, traffic congestion has quickly ensued, which is detrimental to GDP, the environment, as well as health and safety. The new ABI Research report predicts that companie