China Car Times

In what appears to be great news for Beijing, Beijing’s civil service workers have been told to abandon their cars and head for public transport until the Olympic games have ended.

Government workers in Beijing have been forced out of their cars and onto the pavements in a bid to clean up the air of the world’s most polluted city ahead of the Olympic Games in August.

The Beijing city government announced today that it had ordered half its cars off the road ahead of the Games in seven weeks’ time. The selected government and Communist Party cars will be banished to garages until July 19, when a second regulation kicks in that will cut traffic levels in half. The city’s 3.3 million drivers will then be allowed to use their vehicles only on odd or even days, depending on their license plate numbers.

Chinese officials hope the move will assuage international concerns over the poor air quality in the city. Satellite data from the European Space Agency has shown the Chinese capital and neighbouring provinces to have the world’s highest levels of nitrogen dioxide, which can cause fatal damage to the lungs.

In April, Olympic chief Jacques Rogge warned that outdoor events over one hour in length might have to be postponed if conditions are poor because of the risk to athletes’ health. The marathon, road cycling, triathlon, race walking and open water swimming are the events most at risk.