The Chinese government has began taking 30% of its cars in the capital off the roads yesterday in an attempt to make permanent some of the traffic restrictions imposed during the Olympic Games, officials and media reports said.
Beginning 11th October, Chinese motorists will also stop driving one workday a week, based on the final number on their license plates. The new rules should take 800,000 vehicles off the roads each day, according to reports quoting Wang Zhaorong of Beijing's Municipal Traffic Committee. There are 3.5 million cars in Beijing, and more than 1,000 vehicles are added each day, according to government statistics.
The attempt to manage traffic is one of the first concrete signs of possible lasting change as a result of the Olympics. The new restrictions come as the capital's traffic has once again surged and as smoggy skies have returned following the lifting of rules imposed from 20th July to 20th September for the Olympics and the Paralympic Games. In an all-out effort to try to clear the air for millions of athletes and visitors, Beijing ordered more than a million cars off the roads, shut down polluting factories and halted heavy truck traffic.
The air pollution index, which is based on an average from 27 monitoring stations across the city, has increased recently, from 26 last Wednesday to 104 a week later. Anything above 100 is considered dangerous to the health of sensitive individuals.
Car salesman Liu Ce, manager of Beijing Xinshan Trade Center, said the city should do more to improve public transportation "So that people will choose public transportation naturally instead of forcing people to do so or irritating people who want to buy new cars."
Via MSNBC.msn.com > China keeps Olympic car rules