Another Olympic Test

We have been hearing over the last month or so rumors that government officials were going to pull cars off the roads in Beijing during August to see the effects on pollution. There were lots of variations on how this was going to be done. The decision has been made and implemented. I am glad I am not in Beijing right now.

Olympics: Beijing bans over a million cars to cut pollution
by Charles Whelan Fri Aug 17, 2:17 AM ET

BEIJING (AFP) - Beijing banned more than one million cars from its roads on Friday in a test run to improve air quality for the Olympics, easing notorious gridlock although a thick smog still hung over the city.

More than 6,500 traffic police were on duty across the city to ensure car owners observed the ban, while an extra two million more trips were expected to be taken on subways and buses during the day, officials said.

The four-day test is expected to be a prelude for a similar ban to be put in place for the duration of the August 2008 Olympics, as part of a range of measures to temporarily improve air quality for athletes and visitors.

Beijing is one of the world's most polluted cities, and poor air quality, blamed partly on the city's three million cars -- a number growing by 1,200 a day -- has long been a top concern for athletes and officials.

Those worries were exacerbated as a weeks-long smoggy haze that reduced visibility to just a few hundred metres (yards) on occasions marred the build-up to last week's August 8 one-year countdown to the Games.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, in Beijing for the countdown, said then some events could be postponed if pollution was extremely bad, in what would be an unprecedented move to protect athletes' health.

The ban received a mixed reaction from commuters in Beijing on Friday morning, with many being forced to jam into crowded subway lines. Others did not believe it would have much of an impact on air quality.

"I cannot believe it is so crowded, two trains have just passed and I just could not squeeze myself on," said businessman Wang Xindong, who normally drives to work but found himself stuck at an inner-city subway station.

"As for the pollution emissions, I don't think taking cars off the road for just four days will have an immediate effect."

With taxis exempt from the ban, cab driver Jia Jinrong was up early on Friday and expecting a good day of business. However he was surprised that the traffic had eased only marginally.

"The traffic is okay, but not as good as I expected," he said. "We all know this car ban is just a show for the Olympics, a superficial phenomenon."

Of the city's 2.4 million private cars, those with licence plates ending in an even number are banned on Friday and Sunday, while those with an odd number must remain off the roads on Saturday and Monday.

Commuters who drive on the wrong day face fines of 100 yuan (13 dollars), according to the state-run press.

A fleet of government-owned vehicles were also taken off the roads, with the total number of cars remaining at home each day expected to be around 1.3 million, according to city officials.

During the test, scientists will monitor pollution levels at 27 stations throughout the city to gauge how effective the scheme will be for the Games.

Beijing city transport commission deputy head Liu Xiaoming said last week the ban was expected cut vehicle emissions by 40 percent.

He said vehicle emissions were responsible for a quarter of particulate matter and more than 50 percent of three other major pollutants -- sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.