Beijing takes a breather

Source: Shanghai Daily | January 1, 2009, Thursday |

Print Edition

BEIJING, beset by choking traffic and heavy air pollution, will take more than 350,000 high-polluting vehicles off inner city streets from today, local media reported.

China's capital has banned cars from the roads on one out of five weekdays based on the numbers on licence plates as part of a six-month trial in the wake of the broader restrictions during the Olympic Games in August that cleared skies and eased congestion.

Drivers of high-emission vehicles will be fined 100 yuan (US$15) if found driving within the city's Fifth Ring Road, a highway on Beijing's outskirts, after a three-month grace period, The Beijing News said. The measure should take about 10 percent of the city's cars off the road. Beijing currently has about 3.5 million registered cars.

The government has also drafted a compensation scheme that will give drivers up to 25,000 yuan if they give up their cars this year. The city will also provide preferential loans to shipping and transport companies to upgrade vehicle fleets to meet low-emission standards.

Beijing authorities have credited the cleaner skies in recent months as being partly due to the traffic restrictions, as well as decreased emissions from shuttered factories in the city's outskirts.

Nation

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Beijing takes a breather

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