Beijing to ban half its cars during high pollution

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing will ban half of its 3.4 million cars from the roads during periods of very heavy pollution, a state news report said Friday.

The city will temporarily reinstate measures it introduced during the Olympic Games and ban cars on alternate days — depending on whether their license plates are odd or even — if pollution levels rise to extreme levels, the China Daily newspaper said.

"To protect public health over the long term, we must use both methods that increase the number of good air quality days and more stringent measures for when conditions are extremely unfavorable," the deputy director of the city's environmental protection bureau, Du Shaozhong, was quoted as saying.

Work would also be suspended at construction sites and high-polluting factories during extremely polluted periods, the newspaper said.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0iFVs_twuUJBTSQ2hwzhPuBYnDgD93NJC680

[IntravenousDemilo]

1. This is not a new thing, but it's a positive thing.

I believe Athens and Mexico City have tried it in the past, to good effect. I believe that should be the policy in all major American and Canadian cities, during the summer months especially, and I've long advocated exactly this step in Toronto for a long time.

[happygoluckytoyou]

2. SADLY.... they have decided that it will be the BACK HALFs, the front half can still go on polluting