Beijing to cut car registrations in 2014
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E-mail Xinhua, September 4, 2013
Vehicles in the city are considered a major contributor to Beijing's smoggy skies in recent years.
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 over the past years has made vehicle exhaust fume pollution more severe and roads more crowded, the official said.
Rong also said the authorities will study potential effects of congestion fees for cars and seek feedback from all walks of life before coming up with a final plan.
According to the action plan, the municipal government should formulate market policies to increase the cost of car use, including setting up low emission zones and congestion fees.
He said that such policies in international metropolis like London, Singapore and Milan have had the desired effects of curbing air pollution and easing traffic jams.
Currently, cars in Beijing are banned from roads for one workday a week. Further measures to reduce car use include improvement of the city's public transport system and building a comprehensive public bicycle rental system by 2017.
"In a bid to reduce vehicle use, the city should build more subways," said Jia Xinguang, chief analyst with China Automotive Industry Consulting and Development Co..
"Beijing has a big gap with some international metropolises. In Tokyo, for example, subways are responsible for 80 percent of total trips made in the city," Jia said.
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