Beijing grapples with traffic jams
By: Drivers.com Staff
Date: 2003-10-08
Last year, Beijing recorded 16,789 traffic jams. Traffic management officials complained that "rush hour" now occupies 11 hours of the day. The city government has spent more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) annually on road improvements since 2000, but population increases (up 3.8 million in the last 10 years), along with the city's layout are being blamed for aggravating the congestion.
Government offices, shopping centers and large enterprises tend to be located in the downtown area of Beijing, but most of their employees live some distance away and increasingly in suburban areas. Local public transportation systems can't keep up with the new demands.
The Beijing government is considering encouraging citizens to use public transportation and car pools more. It is also exploring a policy of charging different parking fees for different vehicles, with private cars being required to pay more.
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