With the first snowfall and heavy tourist inflow to Gangtok, Sikkim introduces sophisticated traffic rules to ease traffic congestion. From 5 November 2024, the rules come into force during peak hours and within the limits of Gangtok city in certain ways.
Traffic regulation details
The odd-even rule introduced under Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 mandates that vehicles with odd-numbered plates operate on odd days while those with even number plates are allowed to operate on the road on even dates. This applies to private and government vehicles within Gangtok’s key routes from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM, with unrestricted movement allowed from 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Exemptions and specific routes
The Indira and Northern Bye-Pass routes have been exempted from the rule along with emergency services like ambulances. Higher officials, such as the chief secretary and above, are also exempted and receive a special exemption sticker.
Weekend and holiday exemptions
The rule does not apply to second and fourth Saturdays, Sundays and officially sanctioned holidays, allowing for unrestricted vehicle movement on these days to accommodate both locals and tourists.
Delhi’s odd-even scheme for pollution control
Unlike Delhi, where the odd-even scheme was first implemented in 2016 to tackle severe winter air pollution, Sikkim’s approach focuses solely on managing seasonal traffic surges due to tourism.
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