When Delhi imposed the odd-even car rationing scheme to combat pollution, Mizoram imposed the system to ease the traffic congestion in its capital Aizawl. In its traffic management system, Aizawl stands out from other Northeastern state capitals.
For about a year now, the Coordination Committee on Traffic Management has decided to allow plying of vehicles in rotation in order to achieve pedestrian-friendly Aizawl and ease the increasing traffic jams.
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This means cars running with number plates ending in numbers which coincide with calendar dates are not allowed to ply on the roads within city limits.
If a vehicle bears a registration number ending with ‘7’, it cannot ply on the dates – 7th, 17th and 27th of the month.
The move though will not be a long-term solution to ease city commuting, but then police sources have said that it helps easing Aizawl traffic as of now, especially during the rush hours of morning and evening.
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“The major problem with Aizawl traffic is the concentration of vehicles along the major road dissecting the city, the other link roads all lead to this road, all important government installations and business hub are situated here,” Lal Tanpuia, officer in charge of Aizawl Traffic Police said.
“The number of vehicles is catapulting especially in Aizawl, this move of rotating the plying days of the vehicles in Aizawl, even though is easing traffic, but in the long run, the management will have to chalk out alternatives,” Lal Tanpuia said.
The Mizoram government has made serious efforts to ease traffic problem in Aizawl but then due to concentration of government and business houses within a small area in Aizawl, it has become a daunting challenge for the administration.
All taxis plying the city roads are divided into three groups of A, B and C, one group is rested once in the five working days of a week.
Apart from these moves to ease traffic in Aizawl, the traffic management has been enforcing strict no entry for all heavy motor vehicles within the city limits during daytime.
Mizoram’s Aizawl district has one of the highest people to vehicles ratios among the districts in the country. Till January 2018, there are over one lakh vehicles in Aizawl district which has a population of over 5 lakhs.
Lunglei district is yet to register 30,000 vehicles so far. According to data available, more than 80 per cent of Mizoram vehicles are plying the roads of Aizawl which has become a big headache for the traffic management authorities.