2.4.2 Licence plate number restrictions

Figure 1 Paid parking is in force in most areas of Amsterdam where the costs vary by zones. The parking charges are higher in the city centre with higher demand than in the outer neighbourhoods

To deal with the parking problem, Mexico City adopted a progressive parking management policy in 2017 converting minimum parking requirements to maximum allowed parking depending on the land use of the construction. This put Mexico City—the largest city in North America—far ahead of American cities in this commitment of prioritizing people over cars.9 Similar to Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro in 2018 approved new building codes to restrict off-street parking and promote non-motorized transport by removing parking minimums, making Rio the first Brazilian city to pass parking legislation.10

While parking management is one of the most commonly deployed means of travel demand management in cities across the world, it is not without shortcomings. These are highlighted later in this chapter.

2.4.2 Licence plate number restrictions

After parking management, this is the second most commonly deployed means of travel demand management. The number of vehicles that can be brought on the road on any given day of the week are restricted based on their licence plate number. Called the oddeven scheme in common parlance, the restriction could apply to 20% to 50% of the cars in the city depending upon how it is structured. Such restrictions may apply either the whole day or only during peak hours, across the whole city or only in designated areas.

9 How Mexico City Became A Leader in Parking Reform. ITDP. 26th July 2017. https://www.itdp.org/2017/07/26/mexico-city-became-leader-parking-reform/ 10 Rio de Janeiro Joins Other Latin American City Leaders in Parking Reform. ITDP. 31 Jan, 2019. https://www.itdp.org/2019/01/31/rio-joins-parking-reform-leaders/