Hangzhou limits car sales to reduce traffic, smog
China's eastern city of Hangzhou imposed restrictions on car sales Wednesday, joining Shanghai, Beijing and other cities in the fight against snarling traffic and heavy smog.
Hangzhou municipal government said Tuesday that the curbs would take effect while it canvassed public opinion on details of the policy.
It proposes to limit sales to 80,000 units every 12 months, the city government said on its official Web site.
A final decision on details of the curbs will be released at the end of April, the government added.
China's leaders say they have declared war on pollution as they seek to calm public ire over water, air and soil pollution that often reach hazardous levels.
More Chinese cities have limited sales of gasoline vehicles, key contributors to air pollution. The trend is pushing carmakers to speed development of electric vehicles and open more dealerships in smaller cities, which are free from such curbs.
The Hangzhou government said the policy aims to tackle pollution and traffic jams.
Hangzhou, capital of the prosperous province of Zhejiang, is a tourist attraction best known in China for its lake, but its luster has been dulled in recent years by recurrent smog.
Five Chinese cities -- Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Guiyang -- have curbed car sales and more are expected to do so.
Some cities use auctions to allocate license plates, while others use a combination of lotteries and auctions.
It proposes to limit sales to 80,000 units every 12 months, the city government said on its official Web site.
A final decision on details of the curbs will be released at the end of April, the government added.
China's leaders say they have declared war on pollution as they seek to calm public ire over water, air and soil pollution that often reach hazardous levels.
More Chinese cities have limited sales of gasoline vehicles, key contributors to air pollution. The trend is pushing carmakers to speed development of electric vehicles and open more dealerships in smaller cities, which are free from such curbs.
The Hangzhou government said the policy aims to tackle pollution and traffic jams.
Hangzhou, capital of the prosperous province of Zhejiang, is a tourist attraction best known in China for its lake, but its luster has been dulled in recent years by recurrent smog.
Five Chinese cities -- Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Guiyang -- have curbed car sales and more are expected to do so.
Some cities use auctions to allocate license plates, while others use a combination of lotteries and auctions.
