Vehicle Emission Control Strategies and Public Opinion in Bhutan

Because of the increasing number of vehicles in Bhutan, vehicle emissions have become a major cause of air pollution in the city of Thimphu. Although the Bhutanese government has implemented many strategies to control vehicle emissions, the strategies appear inadequate; there is still a need to explore alternative strategies for alleviating the problem. Although vehicle emission control strategies can be easily proposed, they are difficult to implement because they depend on public acceptance and support. A questionnaire survey of public opinion on vehicle emission control strategies was carried out in Thimphu City. Data from the survey have been used to analyze individual preference for vehicle emission control strategies and whether they can be statistically linked to socioeconomic characteristics of survey respondents. The results from this study could be helpful to policy makers for evaluating long-term plans to reduce vehicle emissions in Thimphu City.