The New Traffic Plan, an Encouragement to use Pollutant Motorcycles

Khodrocar – the new traffic plan has been started since the 5 May, 2018 and we are in the second week of this pilot plant. This new plan has restrictions like reducing the quotas and increasing tariffs, also, whole and annual traffic plan sales is not available anymore and tolls are calculated by the type of vehicles technical inspection and time of entrance and exit. This plan sets to reduce the air pollution and car traffic.

The new traffic plan is pilot for now. This plan has a direct effect on car loan agencies price increment and people are trying to find the cheapest way for traveling in the plan zone. This could lead people toward using motorcycles which are mostly carburetor base and count as a reason for Tehran’s air pollution.

According to the statistics, there are 3.5 million motorcycles plated in Tehran and about 1 million of them are riding in the streets and release about 380 thousand tons of emissions into the air every day.

People’s intention for using motorcycles because of new traffic plan would be a problem for the city. That way, the new traffic plan is like cold water on body of 25 mandatory standards plan and stoping production of motorcycles without Euro 4 standard.

"The new approved traffic plan in not a bad idea and have good bases, for instance, emphasizing on top vehicle technical inspection is a positive point of this plan. With no doubt people need to travel into the traffic plan zone and launching this plan is logical. In this situation public transportation shall consider as a priority because it is the only way to control the traffic in this area. Infrastructures for metro, public buses shall develop to its best condition. In this situation people won’t need to buy daily passes.” Zhoma Javaheri Pour told Khodrocar reporter.

"Polluting motorcycles topic is hot in Iran. Since last year traffic plan became mandatory for motorcycles, but the high number of polluting motorcycles in the city and lack of serious policies for this condition is a weak point right now. In my opinion Tehran’s Islamic Council will have more approvals about the motorcycles in order to control their traffic over city with a higher performance guarantee. We should forget that the new traffic plan is in pilot period and it would be better in the future after solving different problems. "She said.

"Using motorcycles is in opposite relation with public transport. If traveling through city with public transport become easy for people, setting more serious policies against motorcycles would lower the number of them in the traffic plan zone.” She continued.

Khodrocar Reporter: Fazel Suri

Khodrocar Translator: Amin Zamani