(Ecns.cn)--Beijing held this year's final car license plate lottery today, when about 20,178 plates were issued to individual buyers, according to the Beijing Morning Post.
By the end of December 8, there were 823,665 applicants, the lowest of the year.
In order to restrict vehicle purchases and ease traffic jams, the Beijing Municipal Government began conducting its first round of car license plate lotteries on January 26.
The quota for new cars in Beijing in 2011 was set at 240,000, two-thirds fewer than in 2010.
On the 26th day of every month around 20,000 numbers are chosen by drawing lots. People who receive a ballot can buy a car within six months, otherwise their number will expire. Those who are not chosen will automatically go into the next month's draw.
From the time it was released, the policy has been the topic of much heated discussion. Supporters say it is a measure that the government took to control the severe traffic, but opponents say that the measure is not scientific enough.
