Beijing to restrict vehicles during Olympics

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-20 19:34

A traffic policeman on duty directs a vehicle to the side on 2nd Ring Road during rush hour in Beijing June 20, 2008. Beijing will introduce odd-even traffic restrictions for two months from July 20 to help ease congestion and reduce pollution during the Olympics and Paralympics, the city government said. [Agencies]

BEIJING -- Beijing will impose an even-odd system based on license plate numbers that will keep vehicles off the road on alternate days from July 20 to September 20 to ease congestion and improve the air quality for the Olympics and Paralympics, the municipal government said on Friday.

Exceptions to the restrictions will include police and other emergency vehicles, taxis, buses and embassy cars, according to a statement on the website of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications.

Beijing, which hosts the Olympics from August 8-24 and the Paralympics from September 6-17, has 16 million people and 3.29 million vehicles, of which 300,000 are government-owned cars, Zhou Zhengyu, deputy head of the committee, told reporters on Friday.

"The restrictions are to ensure smooth traffic and good air quality during the Games period," he said. "Similar measures were also taken by some previous Olympic host cities."

Zhou predicted that about 45 percent of all vehicles and up to 70 percent of government-owned cars will be banned from roads every day.

During a test of the controls from August 17-20 last year, about 1.3 million vehicles were taken off the city roads each day and the emissions discharged were cut by 5,815 tons, according to a report by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection.

"This time, it is expected that the emissions discharged will be cut by 63 percent, or about 118,000 tons," Du Shaozhong, deputy head of the bureau, told reporters on Friday.

Du reiterated that local environmental authorities will be able to ensure good air quality for the Games.

"In addition to traffic bans, we will carry out strict supervision of highly-polluting businesses during the Games period," he said.

In the statement, the municipal government said the restrictions would be enforced throughout the city until August 28, but only in areas within the Fifth Ring Road, and three freeways connecting downtown Beijing to the airport, Badaling and Chengde from August 28 to Sep. 20.

The municipal government will also ban all motor vehicles that fail to meet the European No.1 exhaust standard, as well as trucks registered outside Beijing without special permits from July 1.

To compensate motorists for the restrictions, all vehicle owners will be exempted from taxes and road maintenance fees for three months, costing the government 1.3 billion yuan ($186 million).

In addition, vehicles from outside Beijing must obtain special permits and meet air quality standards before entering the capital during the period.

"Those who violate the restrictions will be punished according to the relevant laws and regulations," Zhou said.

He said that to facilitate public transport during the traffic control period, local authorities will increase the number of buses and subway trains and extend their daily operating hours.

In addition, 66,000 taxis will provide 24-hour service.

The local government cut subway fares by about 30 percent and began last year to offer discounts of up to 60 percent on buses to encourage people to choose public transport.

"Beijing's public transportation system, including buses, subways and taxis, will have an increased capacity to take an additional 4.5 million passengers daily by the time the Games is held," said Liu Xiaoming, head of the Municipal Communications Commission.

Zhou Zhengyu predicted that the traffic restriction measures during the Games will provide valuable experience for city administrators to deal with traffic woes.

"The measures will not be just temporary," he said.