Athens inner Daktylios limit

] file:Daktylios-athens.svg, 200px, Athens Daktylios symbol

''Daktylios'' ( el, Δακτύλιος, lit=ring) is the name given to the road space rationing or alternate-day travel introduced in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

in July 1979, which remains even today. Unlike

congestion pricing Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand, such as through higher peak charges for use of bus services, electricity, metros, railways, t ...

systems, it does not operate on the basis of drivers paying fees for entering the city centre. Instead, it depends on the

parity Parity may refer to: * Parity (computing) ** Parity bit in computing, sets the parity of data for the purpose of error detection ** Parity flag in computing, indicates if the number of set bits is odd or even in the binary representation of the r ...

of the date and of the vehicle's registration plate, the vehicle type as well as the time of the week/month. There are two ''Daktylios'' areas.

Inner ''Daktylios''

Vehicles are allowed into the Inner (or Small) ''Daktylios'', which covers a small area in the city center, depending primarily on the

of the date and of the vehicle's registration plate, the vehicle type as well as the time of the week/month. On odd dates, only vehicles with an odd plate number are allowed to proceed into the ''Daktylios''. On even dates, only cars with even plate numbers are allowed. Lorries and other heavy vehicles are always banned, while residents within the Inner ''Daktylios'' area use a special pass that grants them access on all times of the year. The restrictions are removed on weekends, bank holidays and during certain months (usually between July and October), with the dates changing every year depending on the expected levels of traffic.

Outer ''Daktylios''

The Outer (or Large) ''Daktylios'' covers a much wider area and is implemented only during times of extreme

congestion Congestion may refer to: Medicine *Excessive fluid in tissues, vessels, or both, including: ** Edema, abnormal accumulation of fluid in the interstitium, manifesting as swelling *** Peripheral edema, edema in peripheral body parts such as limbs ...

or high pollution. It affects only heavy vehicles and certain roads within the area covered are not subjected to the Outer ''Daktylios'' restrictions.

Green ''Daktylios''

The Green ''Daktylios'' is a scheme that allows

electric cars An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...

hybrid cars A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. The basic princi ...

and all vehicles produced after 2011 that produce less than 140g/km of access to the Inner ''Daktylios'' anytime.

Criticism

The ''Daktylios'' scheme has been criticised by transport engineers for being ineffective, with the primary reason being that many people own two cars, one with odd and one with even plate numbers, granting them daily access and the other one being that it is occasionally violated. However, there are no plans to phase it out or replace it with a congestion pricing system.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://daktylios.ypeka.gr/
Athens Ring
Sustainable transport Transportation planning Transport in Athens