Bengaluru does not want to face a smog-like situation like Delhi. In view of this, the government has decided to launch a campaign called called ‘less traffic day’, to minimise the number of private vehicles plying on the road, as per a report by Sandeep Moudgal in the Times of India.
To come into operation from February 2018, the campaign will be applicable on the second Sunday of every month.
"We already have 64 lakh private vehicles on the road and would like to avoid a smog situation, as in Delhi, in Bengaluru. While we are not banning private vehicles on that day, we will try to create an awareness among Bengalureans to utilise public transport or hire yellow board vehicles to avoid pollution in the city," Transport minister HM Revanna told ToI.
Officials of the transport department, the traffic police and the pollution control board have already held one round of meetings and there will be another round of talks to finalise the possible modalities of campaigning, the minister added.
“We are not banning private vehicles that day, but we will try to create an awareness among Bengalureans to utilise public transport or hire yellow board vehicles to bring down pollution,” he said.
Bengaluru already has a campaign called the “Bus Day” which is a day-long event organised by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation to encourage use of public transport in Bengaluru.
Initially conceived by a group of ardent citizens in Bengaluru, the idea was to change people’s mindset towards public transport and reduce use of private vehicles so as to minimise traffic congestion in the city.
The first Bus Day was observed on February 4, 2010. From then on, it has become a practice and is usually observed on the 4th of every month.
Bengaluru has 64.36 lakh registered vehicles under the non-transport category, of which 49.42 lakh are two-wheelers and there are a total of 71 lakh vehicles in the city.