Beijing bids to clean up air through fewer car registrations
Print Edition
Beijing will reduce car registrations from next year in a bid to clean up its air and ease traffic congestion, local transport authorities said yesterday.
Rong Jun, a spokesman for the municipal transport commission, said the commission is working with several other government agencies on a new monthly limit on car registrations for the next few years.
The new limit will be announced in late November and be effective in 2014, Rong told a press briefing.
According to a five-year clean air action plan (2013-2017) released on Monday, the total number of vehicles in the city will be restricted to around 6 million by the end of 2017.
The city had 5.35 million vehicles at the end of July, according to figures from the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.
Beijing started to cap the number of new cars that could be registered annually in 2011 to 240,000 — one-third of the number registered in 2010. Would-be car buyers must participate in a license plate lottery.
In August, the municipal transport commission received 1.6 million new car license applications. One out of 80 applicants got car purchase permits as only 20,000 new license plates are now issued each month.
The limit has drawn complaints from many residents due to the slim chance of getting a car plate and a further cut could trigger more backlash.
“More than two years have passed, I still haven’t won a plate in the lottery. With a decline in car registrations in sight, my chance of getting one will become slimmer,” said Beijing resident Wang Yang.
“There is no problem with controlling the number as all drivers benefit from less busy roads,” said lawyer Liu Jiahui. “But the authorities should spend big on public transport.”
Vehicles are considered a big contributor to Beijing’s smoggy skies.
A report by a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed that vehicle exhaust fumes are among Beijing’s top sources of air pollution, contributing to 22.2 percent of PM2.5 particles in the city, exceeding the figure for industrial emissions.
The greater intensity of car use in recent years has made vehicle exhaust fume pollution more severe and roads more crowded, the official said.
Under the action plan, the municipal government should formulate policies to increase the cost of car use — including congestion charges.
Rong said the authorities will study potential effects of congestion fees and seek feedback before deciding on a plan.
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