Mumbai Bans Trucks in Peak Hours, Other Cities to Follow Suit?
Published On Dec 22, 2016
Mumbai Traffic Police, in an attempt to tackle the rising traffic problem in Mumbai, has banned heavy vehicle movement in the city during peak hours. The 7 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 9 pm time windows will, from now on, remain closed for a majority of heavy vehicles.
“For the purpose of smooth movement of traffic and better traffic management in Mumbai, from 7 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 9 pm, all heavy vehicles except heavy vehicles providing essential service like vegetables, milk, ambulance, police department, fire department, government semi-government vehicles and all buses transporting passengers, will have restrictions for running on the roads,” said Sanjay Mohite, additional commissioner of police for traffic, Brihan Mumbai.
Heavy vehicles providing essential services including, but not limited to, milk, vegetables delivery, police vehicles, government vehicles, vehicles used by fire department, public transportation buses are exempted from the ban.
Mumbai Traffic Police in an official statement, mentioned, “Increase in the number of vehicles plying on the road, ongoing repairs/ other works on road, ongoing metro/ monorail projects and electricity/ telephone line works in Brihan Mumbai and plying of heavy vehicles transporting goods which occupy large amount of space cause obstruction to traffic and inconvenience to the public during peak hours.”
The rising problem of traffic in many cities is not a hidden fact any more. Most of the metropolitan cities and areas surrounding them have to bear the brunt of rising number of vehicles on the road. Banning heavy vehicles during peak hours may not do justice to the real cause behind snarling traffic jams.
India is home to more private vehicles than commercial vehicles, and restricting only vehicles like trucks can send a wrong signal in the minds of transportation communities operating in the country. Also, how fair is banning trucks and other heavy vehicles, when most of the jams are caused by smaller mediums of transportation?
