“Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign

“Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign was launched by the Delhi Government. The campaign aims to end idling in traffic signals.

About the Campaign

Idling is running the engine of the vehicle when the latter is not in motion. This is common when the vehicle stops at red light in traffic signals. The campaign aims to end idling. It mainly focuses on bringing behavioural change among the Delhi citizens. Under the campaign the citizens will be encouraged to turn off the vehicle while waiting in traffic signals. The campaign will run for 26 days. The volunteers in the campaign will ask the drivers to turn OFF their engines at least for 15 seconds. The campaign is to be held in 100 traffic signals. The signals where the wait period is more than two minutes have been chosen. Around 1000 civil volunteers and 2,500 defence volunteers are to participate in the campaign. Also, officials from Delhi traffic police, local legislators and councillors are to participate in the campaign.

Benefits

There are ten million vehicles registered in Delhi. If at least one million actively follow the campaign, the PM10 emissions can be reduced by 1.5 tonnes a year and PM2.5 emissions can be reduced by 0.4 tonnes a year.

Need for the campaign

Idling of engines consumes more fuel than while it is in motion. A car left in idling condition for 15 to 20 minutes consumes 200 ml of fuel. Thus, a person can save Rs 7,000 per year by not idling their vehicles.