Govt cars to stay parked one day a week: NDRC

(Ecns.cn)—The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), along with 16 other government ministries, has announced a selective license plate method that would keep China's government vehicles from operating legally for at least one day every week.

Government bicycles would be installed for officials to use on those days to encourage them to drive less, according to the plan.

The "135" project would encourage officials to walk within a 1-mile distance, bicycle within a 3-mile distance and use public transportation within a 5-mile distance.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Bureau of Statistics, government agencies at all levels have registered more than 2 million cars, which cost 150 billion yuan ($23.89 billion) to 200 billion yuan ($29.28 billion) each year, said a report from Beijing Review.

The large number of official cars contributed to the cities' traffic jams in China, therefore, trigged the discussion about the necessity of a reform. Last month, Beijing government also initiated a plan to restrain the pruchase and use of government cars- car purchases by government organs will have to follow legal standards and procedures.