We are less than 50 days from the start of the 2008 Olympics and Beijing is wrapping up a sweeping effort to ensure sitting in gridlocked traffic doesn't become the biggest event of the games.
The city has dumped big money into the Beijing Subway, with one new line completed and two more opening later this month, and one Beijing official says the volume of traffic on the road needs to be cut by just 20 to 30 percent to ensure things go smoothly. (And, incidentally, improve the city's terrible air quality.)
How are they gonna get those cars off the road?
The city will allow cars on the road only on alternating days selected according to whether they have an odd or even license plate number. That trick is expected to reduce traffic by 45 percent. Beijing also will rely heavily on its public transit to carry 8 million athletes, journalists and spectators to and from events.
"Beijing's public transportation system, including buses, subways, and taxis, will have increased capacity to take an additional 4.5 million passengers daily," says Liu Xiaoming of the Municipal Communication Commission.
The subways will carry 1.1 million extra passengers and the city will add 2,000 more buses to carry an additional 2.8 million people. At least 40% of the city's 66,000 taxis will be required to run at night to provide transportation for evening events.
"Our confidence in coping with the Olympic traffic comes from early preparations to improve the public transportation system, which has been designated as a priority since 2001," he said.
Photo of traffic on Beijing's Third Ring Road by Flickr user xiaming.
