They are very conscious about environment and take all steps to prevent degradation...In switzerland, in apartment blocks you cannot own Washing machines individually .They have one or two for the entire block and each apartment is given one day in the week to use the wash room to wash and dry their clothes..

A good move and a necessary gesture to reduce harmful effects on the environment. In India too it should be made compulsory but the problem is that public transport is usually in shambles across the country and there is no choice for the people but to use their own transport.

The only measures that work in our country would be forced ones ...Thankfully we have regular power cuts which in itself is good for the environment although the reason is quite different ! We also should have a day when certain types of vehicles are not allowed to ply on the roads...at least to that extent pollution levels would come down !

Token steps like using bicycles on some specified day or not using electricity for an hour once a year are some steps for publicty value and are gimmicks. These don't help.  

In India Motor vehicles especially Cars are treated as status symbols. In my own street a real estate contractor uses three Cars. One for his school going children, One for himself and for his wife's club activities..Another thing is street lights will be glowing all along the day.

It is more to do with efficiency than numbers...Western countries have far more number of cars but they have very strict quality control with regard to fuel emission and it works.They also maintain green belt around all major cities...We need to control both noise and pollution caused by vehicles that are not checked regualrly>the present system we have for emission is so lame that one can get a certificate even without taking the vehicle ...

Fuel efficient cars  are too  expensive here. Noise pollution goes unabated in the festival season despite restrictions. Green belts are used as Public toilets by the people living around. More than anything else i feel awareness about environment is needed and whatever measures to create awareness on environment are not implemented. Only alternative is heavy penalization on the violators.

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

Token steps like using bicycles on some specified day or not using electricity for an hour once a year are some steps for publicty value and are gimmicks. These don't help.  

True...also these gimmicks do not work because there is no infrastructure that such steps can be effectively implemented. For example, dedicated bicycles tracks have been built on major roads of Pune, but there are a number of drawbacks such as people park their cars on tracks, encroachment by shopkeepers, hawkers, etc. paving blocks not aligned properly etc. etc. due to which bicycle riders are forced on main streets which are not safe for bicycles so very few people use bicycles or not at all.

Here too in my place Vizag we have a beautiful Road that goes along the Beach. For this exclusive Bicycle tracks were also made by the corporation.. The traffic will be diverted for an hour in the morning hours. For some time this worked. After a period of time Bicycle tracks are used as public toilets by the nearby slum dwellers making the entire area stink. making some rule is something and implementing the rule is something else.