Beijing residents rush to buy cars as government considers ownership curbs
China's capital registered an unprecedented 30,000 new vehicles last week, raising Beijing's total number of registered automobiles to a record 4.8 million units, the semi-official china.com.cn Web site reported.
The municipal government plans to hold a press conference on its proposals to curb traffic congestion, which may include policies that limit car use or purchases.
The city, ranked as having the world's worst traffic in a survey by International Business Machine Corp., has proposed offering public bicycles, building tunnels and possibly imposing fees for driving in parts of the Chinese capital to ease congested roads.
Other options to reduce traffic posted on the government's Web site include limits on the number of government cars in the city and the construction of additional subway lines. The plans have been published to allow local residents to submit comments.
