Road space rationing, also known as alternate-day travel, driving restriction and no-drive days, is a travel demand management strategy aimed to reduce the negative externalities generated by urban air pollution or peak urban travel demand in excess of available supply or road capacity, through artificially restricting demand by rationing the scarce common good road capacity, especially during the peak periods or during peak pollution events. This objective is achieved by restricting traffic access into an urban cordon area, city center (CBD), or district based upon the last digits of the license number on pre-established days and during certain periods, usually, the peak hours.
Traffic congestion persists despite São Paulo's municipal no-drive days based on license numbers, implemented since 1997. São Paulo downtown, Brazil.
Road Space Rationing impacts behavioral changes and may lead to the ultimate outcome, i.e. end traffic congestion. Other factors impacting these changes make it hard to isolate the singular effects of Road Space Rationing regulations.
Severe smog over Mexico City.
Traffic sign used in San José, Costa Rica, to warn drivers of the prevailing access restriction into the CBD according to license plate number by day of the week.
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time. There are many forms of rationing, although rationing by price is most prevalent.
Romanian ration card, 1989
A 1918 advertisement urges civilians to preserve their food during World War I.
First World War German government propaganda poster describing rationing with personifications of meat, bread, sugar, butter, milk, and flour, 1916
Child's ration book, used in Britain during the Second World War