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Beijing braced for traffic jams during holiday
By Feng Jianmin |
September 20, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Beijing is facing its worst traffic jams for many months after the government temporarily lifted restrictions on private cars in a bid to "facilitate" travel during the upcoming holidays.
But concerns were aroused after more than 140 streets were hit by massive traffic jams on Friday night, with vehicles moving at speeds lower than 20 kilometers an hour.
One driver told the Beijing News he had taken half an hour to pass through a set of traffic lights, which would normally take three minutes.
Traffic conditions had improved yesterday as cautious Beijing residents turned to public transport and traffic police were mobilized to deal with any problems.
Since the 2008 Olympics, the government has been limiting private cars on the streets during weekdays according to their license plate number. Each day, cars with plates ending in certain digits, such as 5 and 0 for Monday, were banned.
But for the next two weeks, all private cars are to be allowed on the road because people are working different days following the complicated holiday scheme for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day.
The number of vehicles during rush hours on weekdays is expected to rise by as much as 20 percent.
"The ultimate solution to Beijing's traffic problem is to improve its public transport system," Professor Mao Baohua from Beijing Jiaotong University told the Beijing News.
But concerns were aroused after more than 140 streets were hit by massive traffic jams on Friday night, with vehicles moving at speeds lower than 20 kilometers an hour.
One driver told the Beijing News he had taken half an hour to pass through a set of traffic lights, which would normally take three minutes.
Traffic conditions had improved yesterday as cautious Beijing residents turned to public transport and traffic police were mobilized to deal with any problems.
Since the 2008 Olympics, the government has been limiting private cars on the streets during weekdays according to their license plate number. Each day, cars with plates ending in certain digits, such as 5 and 0 for Monday, were banned.
But for the next two weeks, all private cars are to be allowed on the road because people are working different days following the complicated holiday scheme for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day.
The number of vehicles during rush hours on weekdays is expected to rise by as much as 20 percent.
"The ultimate solution to Beijing's traffic problem is to improve its public transport system," Professor Mao Baohua from Beijing Jiaotong University told the Beijing News.
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