Move to limit licences sparks frenzied car buying and resignation of vice-major
A new plan to restrict traffic on Beijing's notoriously jammed streets backfired today as a pre-emptive surge in car ownership forced the resignation of the vice-mayor. Huang Wei, who is responsible for traffic, stood down amid a frenzy of vehicle-buying that has led to queues forming before dawn outside showrooms.
More than 30,000 vehicles have been sold in the past week, more than twice as many as normal, as Beijingers rushed to beat the introduction of tight limits on ownership. Under a policy unveiled, the city will issue just 240,000 new licences next year, down from more than 700,000 this year, by lottery.Despite a furious burst of road construction, Beijing has been unable to ease the congestion caused by a near doubling of car ownership over the past five years to almost 4.8m vehicles today. A recent survey by IBM ranked Beijing alongside Mexico City as the most grid-locked capital in the world.
The package of measures announced today also included a risk in parking charges, limits on official cars and more roadbuilding. The city has already announced it will build 280,000 extra parking spaces and 348 miles of underground track.
But the jams show no signs of easing, particularly near the vehicle management stations that issue licence plates. According to the domestic media, a tailback of more than 1,000 new cars formed behind one inspection office in Beiyuan, northern Beijing.
At this rate, the number of cars in the city is expected to pass the 5m mark by February, while the average speed of the traffic slows ever closer to bicycle pace.
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