With little more than a month before Norouz (Iranian New Year) holidays and Tehran’s chromic traffic congestion at unbearable heights, urban authorities have updated a traffic scheme in place for more than a decade.
As per the update, the odd-even scheme will be extended to Thursdays between Feb. 20 and March 20. The extended New Year holidays in Iran start on March 20.
Introduced by Tehran Municipality in 2005 to help ease the traffic problems jam in the central parts of the capital, the odd-even rule allows cars to enter the designated restricted zone on alternate days depending on the odd and even number of their license plate.
Traffic Police deputy, Colonel Masoud Jabbarzadeh told IRNA that Thursdays and Fridays were excluded from the scheme. “As of Feb. 20, the scheme will be implemented also on Thursdays from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.”
During the one month period, only cars with their license plates ending with an odd number can be used in the restricted zone on Thursdays.
The zone is an 88.5 square kilometer area in central Tehran reaching Imam Ali Expressway in the east, Navvab Expressway and Chamran Highway to the west, Besat Expressway in the south and Hemmat Expressway in the north.
Saturday, for instance, is for cars with the last even digit and the weekend holiday (Friday) is free for all cars.
The one-month rule has been introduced to help ease traffic as growing numbers of people head to shopping centers to prepare for the annual new year festivities.
While many have welcomed the new rule, others have called it trivial adding that it is highly unlikely to deliver the desired results.
It merits mention that Tehran Municipality is set to scrap the odd-even rule in the coming fiscal and replace it with a scheme named Air Pollution Control.
As per the APC, the geographical boundary of the traffic zone will remain unchanged, but each vehicle can enter the restricted zone for free for a maximum of 20 days every season, or 80 days a year.
After ratification by the Tehran City Council, the APC will be implemented in April with support from the TM, Traffic Police, Interior Ministry and the Tehran Governorate.
