Beijing mulls makeover to ease traffic woes

Beijing will create more suburban centers in its outskirts, limiting the expansion of government offices, business areas and medical facilities in old downtown areas, in a bid to deal with the deteriorating traffic situation, according to its latest government plan.

The municipal government presented a report on Friday to the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress on a plan based on legislators' proposals regarding the traffic congestion issue. In a rare move, the meeting was broadcast live on the Internet.

During the meeting, Vice Mayor Chen Gang said that certain factors worsened the traffic situation in the capital, including the large population and number of vehicles, single-centered city layout, improper locations of residences and workplaces, as well as a defective road network and public transportation system.

According to latest statistics, more than 20 million regular residents now live in Beijing, and there are 5.2 million vehicles in the city. More than 32 percent of vehicles on the road are cars, while the rate in 2003 was only 26.2 percent.

The downtown area is home to 73 percent of workplaces, 90 percent of medical and education facilities, while residential areas are far from workplaces.

The city is taking measures to move out industries that do not match with the capital's functional positioning, putting limits on the construction of commercial logistics facilities, relocating commodities marketplaces, restricting the expansion of large hospitals and guiding employed people to live close to their workplaces.

Beijing will also expand its public transportation system, hoping to build 1,000 kilometers of tracks for its metro system by 2020 from the current 456 kilometers.

The lottery system for vehicle plates is expected to be modified in November, and congestion fees are also being considered.

This is bad news for Beijingers who want to buy a car anytime soon, as under the current lottery system, there were already 1.61 million people in the growing pool fighting for the 18,553 car license numbers for September. Even smaller license quotas will reportedly be released each month.