(Peak & License Plate Scheme)
Introduction
Historical Context
International Experiences
Preparatory Studies
Benefits
The short-term objective of this program is to create awareness of the positive effects on traffic with the reduction of the number of private vehicles on the roadways. This means lowering the duration of trips for the great majority and the various problems due to the amount of vehicles during peak hours. In the long run the objective is to reduce car-dependency.
The reasons that made the operation of Pico & Placa necessary during the current administration include:
Due the aforementioned reasons, measures of great impact and easy analysis had to be adopted. The only viable alternative in the short term was the drastic reduction of the number of circulating vehicles. It would imply less congestion, greater average velocities and shorter periods of travel.
Bogotá City Hall, through the years, has implemented different programs in order to organize traffic in the city. These programs eventually created the appropriate atmosphere among the citizens that allowed "Pico y Placa" to be established.
The first measure adopted is referred to as "Reversibles" (Reversible), which is still applied today. It contemplates that all the lanes of two of the most important streets of the city are directed due north during the afternoon (12:00 m - 1:30 p.m.) and evening (5:30 - 8:00 p.m.), when most of the citizens are heading from their offices to their homes. Most offices are located in the southern and downtown areas of the city, while most houses are in the north.
The second measure was called "Contra-flujo" (Counter-flow), which is not applied today due to large number of accidents it brought on and its replacement with "Pico y Placa". This measure consisted in turning one of the lanes of the major avenues in the city due south in the peak morning hours (6:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.), in the afternoon heading north (12:00 m - 1:30 p.m.) and north in the peak evening hours (5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.).
There are many examples of international experiences of vehicle circulation restriction, with various degrees of efficacy. The most important cases of cities that have adopted a permanent measure are Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Manila, Singapore and Athens.
For most of these cases the restriction is established for a whole day, for certain vehicle models or for certain zones. It is important to mention that in all of these cases, as well as in those cities where restrictions are applied only during certain days according to pollution problems derived from climatic effects (France, Germany and Italy, for example), the measure responds in essence to environmental and air pollution problems.
Before the adoption of the program, there were some measurements done on the principal corridors that would allow a comparison and establish a before and after control and evaluation on indicators such as: volume, velocity, traffic light cycles, times between two points, private transportation and public transportation. The data presented in the study for the Master Plan of Urban Transportation for Bogotá carried out by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), was also taken into account.
The analysis for the reduction in the number of vehicles implies that if there were fewer vehicles on the roads then the travel velocity would increase, therefore less congestion would be generated.
It was decided to assume a normal distribution (by last digit of the license plate number) of the total number of vehicles on any given day, as well as of the last digit of the license plate number of the vehicles that transit during certain hours of the day. Any deviation would be small and not very significant, taking into account license plate numbers handed out in Bogotá and those corresponding to vehicles from the adjacent towns.
Application
Once the way of applying the restriction was defined, that is, by the last digit of the license plate number, there were other factors to take into consideration:
The organization and distribution of the city made it necessary to implement the measure for the whole urban perimeter, this would prove to be the only way to effectively reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.
The peak hours would be the most effective hours in which to apply the measure. The definition of a peak hour is that one in which the highest number of simultaneous trips is done. In Bogotá's case (according to JICA) these hours are:
However, a decision had to be made as to how to soften the curve of the peak hours so as not to create vehicle congestion during non-peak hours. The hours finally adopted were from 7:00 - 9:00 a.m. and from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. People could use the public transportation system as the means of moving from one place to another during these hours without causing alterations to their daily schedules.
This means that 99.9% of private and official vehicles and 90% of the total amount of vehicles must follow the restriction.
The objective of "Pico y Placa", to reduce the number of vehicles travelling during work days, through a simple method that restricts circulation of private vehicles during peak hours twice a week, has proven successful. Some of the goals reached by this measure include the reorganization of vehicle transit, rationalization of the usage of public space, reduction of private automobile usage, generation of consciousness and discipline among our citizens.
Thanks to the flexibility allowed by the program, Bogotá has not had to face an increase in the number of vehicles circulating. Contrary to the situation which has arisen in other cities that have applied similar programs, where people buy another car to compensate for the days when their original one is under restriction, the citizens of Bogotá have applied other solutions, either accommodating their schedules or using alternative means of transportation.
The principal benefits obtained with this measure have been:
Making a success of this measure is an enormous tribute to the ability of the Peñalosa team to think and work their way through the quagmire of half-baked ideas that lurk out there on the alternative policies front. Somehow they managed to take what has to be the world's most feeble car reduction strategy -- the odd/even schemes that are so frequently mentioned, usually with considerable satisfaction -- and make of it something that works and works very well indeed. To appreciate fully what they have managed to accomplish you have to have some familiarity with two things: (a) how poorly the basic idea has worked in just about every other place on the planet where it has been tried over the last fifteen years, and (b) how successful it has proven in the version that have worked up in Bogota where it is creating a visibly improved mobility environment during peak hours every day of the week. NOBODY ELSE HAS DONE THIS!!!
"Pico y Placa" (Peak and License Plate) was designed with the purpose of making Bogotá a friendlier, less contaminated and stressful city. Vehicle congestion is one of the main problems the city faces. Bogotá currently has a population of 6.4 million inhabitants and 832,000 private automobiles, which move approximately 1.2 million people.
IntroductionReasons behind "pico y placa"Historical ContextInternational Experiences
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Preparatory Studies1. Where?
2. When?
3. How Often?
The decision was to restrict four digits a day, which would imply a theoretical reduction of 40% and effective of approximately 30%, and it was decided that public transportation should not be included in the application of the measure. It was adopted as follows:
4. Inclusions and exceptions
The measure excludes the following vehicles:
Sanctions
The vehicle, which even though under restriction, circulates during prohibited hours, will be liable to a fine of approximately US$ 20. However, the vehicle cannot be detained, it can be fined continuously until the moment when the restriction is lifted.
Benefits
Last updated 27 October 2000 © EcoPlan , Paris, France.
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