By 2012, two million more autos are expected to take to Beijing's roads, bringing the number to 5.4 million. This daunting figure has prompted authorities to find better solutions to ease traffic congestion and pollution.

Beijing is seeing an increase of about 20 percent, or 300,000 new cars a year. The new cars will need another 60 sq km of parking space, which equals the total area within the Second Ring Road. Beijing is plagued by traffic jams and poor air quality, caused by emissions from the growing number of autos. Beijing needs to come up with new administrative and legislative measures to restrict new car growth.

Beijing must introduce more bus-only lanes to encourage more people to use public transport during rush hours. Bus-only lanes should also be introduced in areas where there is a heavy flow of commuters to improve the efficiency of public transport. The even/odd license plate number policy adopted during the Beijing Olympics to ease road traffic and pollution should be reintroduced in central Beijing.

Data shows that the capital's particulate concentration level declined by a half during the Games due to the suspension of work at construction sites and vehicle restrictions. Beijing plans to ban a total of 357,000 "yellow plate" vehicles from entering the Fifth Ring Road starting from Jan 1 next year to improve the city's air quality. By October next year, all yellow license plate vehicles, mostly tippers and heavy-duty trucks, will be banned in Beijing. Tax exemption policies will be introduced next year to encourage the development of electric vehicles, those using mixed energy and those with lower emissions.

Source : english.chinabuses.com

Editor : Frederick

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Tags: Rules Implement Beijing