Average vehicle speed increased

The jury is still divided on how much the odd-even scheme helped reduce pollution in Delhi, but everyone accepts that traffic during peak hours was reduced significantly. This resulted in less travel time and savings on account of fuel.

Ridlr, a commuting app which provides real-time information for diverse transit modes, compiled data of vehicular movement from January 1 to January 12 at Delhi's 10 bustiest routes and compared it with month old data from the same places. These were selected keeping in mind the movement of people in the National Capital Region (NCR), intra-city travel, and the highest concentration of offices and business complexes.

The percentage increase in average speed was highest between Kalindi Kunj and Noida Gate Sector 14-A (45 per cent), followed by MG Road (40 per cent), and NH-8 (37 per cent). The first route connects south Delhi with Noida in Uttar Pradesh and the remaining two join Delhi and Gurgaon in Haryana.

Two stretches, ITO to Laxmi Nagar and Moti Nagar to Karol Bagh, however, continued to remain busy during peak hours.

People commuting between Lajpat Nagar and Ashram Chowk, which otherwise is packed because of high volumes of cars, buses and two-wheelers, experienced a congestion-free drive with 36 per cent increase in average vehicle speed.

A commuter who travels daily between Dwarka and Kapashera (Delhi-Gurgaon border) feels odd-even scheme was successful in reducing the traffic. She wants the scheme to be extended to the entire NCR. "I really enjoyed driving from Dwarka to Kapashera. But beyond that, it was a nightmare. Whatever time I saved was wasted at Kapashera border, where the rule was not in place," said Yashmin Barua, a public relations professional.

A DTC bus driver said before the scheme, he was spending at least 10 minutes at the Subhash Nagar and Rajouri Garden traffic signals during the peak hours. "Now, the wait has reduced to two-five minutes," he said.

Data suggest around 6,000 people were fined for violating the odd-even scheme.