Beijing's 5-Year Clean Air Plan: Traffic Restrictions to Be Introduced by Year-End

　　Achieving the goals of significantly improved air quality and a substantial reduction in heavily polluted days will not be a solo effort by government departments and enterprises. It also involves new policy measures closely related to ordinary citizens, such as implementing stricter controls on the increase in the number of small passenger vehicles—limiting the total number of vehicles in the city to only 600,000 more—and studying the introduction of congestion charges. By the end of the year, policies for time-of-day and zoned traffic restrictions on small passenger vehicles will be studied and introduced, with implementation targeted for next year.

　　Keyword: Vehicle Control

　　Starting January 1, the city will control the size of its vehicle fleet, aiming to keep the total number of vehicles in Beijing below 6 million by the end of 2017. To this end, the government will study and develop control measures for trucks, large and medium-sized buses, and other vehicle types, as well as stricter regulations on the increase in the number of small passenger vehicles, guiding the purchase of electric vehicles and low-emission cars.

　　According to information from the transportation department, as of July 10 this year, the number of vehicles in Beijing has reached 5.33 million, and road traffic has reached a state of "extreme saturation." That means there are just over three years left until 2017, but only 600,000 new vehicle "allowances" remain. This implies that the current annual quota of 240,000 small passenger vehicle license plates, which has been in place for two years, may be further compressed.

　　The Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau will lead the development of economic policies to increase the cost of vehicle use, in line with national requirements to “reasonably determine refined oil prices based on quality and pollution costs.” The Municipal Transportation Commission and the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau will plan low-emission zones and study congestion charge policies. The Municipal Transportation Commission and the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau will research and develop supporting policies such as intelligent electronic toll collection systems. The Municipal Transportation Commission, the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau, and the Municipal Urban Management Law Enforcement Bureau will strengthen supervision and enforcement, implement differentiated parking fees by region, continuously improve differentiated parking management policies, appropriately expand the scope of areas subject to differential parking fees, and guide reduced vehicle usage intensity in central urban areas.

　　As early as three years ago, the city proposed “studying congestion charges for key congested roads or areas and implementing them when appropriate,” but to date, the congestion charge policy is still under study.

　　However, it is understood that the implementation of this new congestion charge policy must be carried out alongside supporting measures such as electronic license plates. Based on practices in developed countries, electronic license plates are linked to the vehicle owner’s bank account, and vehicles entering toll zones are automatically charged. But challenges remain, such as how to charge non-local vehicles without electronic plates or unlicensed vehicles, and replacing 5–6 million vehicles with electronic plates will be a massive undertaking.

　　Singapore was the first in the world to implement a “congestion charge.” In 1975, it began charging vehicles entering a 6-square-kilometer controlled zone in the city center, collecting S$3 (approximately RMB 14.42) per day for all vehicles except public transport.

　　In February 2003, London began charging vehicles entering the city center between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on non-weekend days a “congestion charge” of £5 (approximately RMB 47.66) per vehicle per day. In July 2005, this was increased to £8 (approximately RMB 76.26).

　　According to U.S. media reports, New York plans to charge vehicles entering Manhattan between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on non-weekend days a “congestion fee” of $8 for cars and $21 for trucks. If approved, New York could become the first U.S. city to implement a “traffic jam fee.”

　　Zoned and time-based traffic restriction policy to be introduced by year-end

　　Before the end of this year, policies for time-of-day and zoned traffic restrictions on small passenger vehicles will be studied, refined, and introduced, with implementation targeted for 2014. The Municipal Transportation Commission and the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau will also lead efforts this year to study and develop expanded restrictions on non-local vehicles, aiming for implementation in 2014.

　　This year, the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau will lead efforts to refine the management policies for non-local vehicles’ Beijing entry permits, raising environmental standards. The Municipal Transportation Commission will study and develop policies to prohibit non-local trucks from entering the Sixth Ring Road. Starting next year, all non-local vehicles entering within the Sixth Ring Road (excluding the ring itself) must obtain a Beijing entry permit. Vehicles applying for long-term permits must meet China Stage III or higher emission standards. Non-local vehicles are prohibited from entering the Fifth Ring Road and suburban county towns during peak hours. By 2015, light-duty vehicles applying for long-term Beijing entry permits must meet China Stage IV or higher emission standards, and non-local yellow-label vehicles will be banned from entering Beijing.

　　Transportation authorities revealed that penalties for non-local vehicles violating peak-hour restrictions or local vehicles driving on restricted days may be upgraded from the current RMB 100 fine to a RMB 100 fine plus 3 demerit points.

　　The Municipal Commission of Transport will take the lead in increasing the proportion of public transportation use in the city center, while the Municipal Major Projects Office will accelerate the construction of rail transit. In 2013, the goal is to achieve a public transportation usage rate of 46% in the city center and an operational rail transit mileage of 456 kilometers citywide. By 2015, these figures are targeted to reach 50% and 660 kilometers respectively. By 2017, the aim is for the city center’s public transport share to hit 52%, with public transport accounting for 60% of all motor vehicle trips.

　　The Municipal Commission of Transport and the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau will lead the development of local standards for dedicated bus lane markings in Beijing, prioritizing their designation in congested areas. Efforts will be made to build a network of dedicated bus lanes in the city center, with the target lengths of 450 kilometers by 2015 and over 480 kilometers by 2017.

　　In addition, the Municipal Commission of Transport will oversee the enhancement of bicycle and pedestrian pathways as well as environmental improvements, while promoting public bicycle services. By 2017, the installation of public bicycle equipment and system construction across the city will be largely completed, enabling intermodal bike access within service areas.

　　According to the Municipal Commission of Transport, the city will designate additional dedicated bus lanes along major passenger corridors and frequently congested road sections, prioritizing the most valuable road space in the busiest areas for public transport. This move is expected to attract more commuters and significantly improve transport efficiency.

　　It has been reported that the long-studied rapid public transit loop lines for the Third and Fourth Ring Roads will commence construction this year. These loop lines will primarily make use of existing bus routes and dedicated bus lanes, with new dedicated lanes added where feasible. They will also deploy 18-meter articulated buses with high capacity and adjust bus line networks to offer express services at major stops, forming continuous transit loops. The Jingkai Expressway and the Jingzang Expressway will adopt the Jinglu model, establishing radial rapid transit corridors along urban expressways. Along Chang’an Avenue, from Wukesong to Sihui, a rapid public transit corridor will also be developed using dedicated bus lanes and high-capacity vehicles.

　　As of the end of last year, the proportion of public transportation use in Beijing stood at 44%, ranking first nationwide. This year, the target is to reach 46%.

　　Starting in 2014, yellow-label vehicles will be banned from entering the Sixth Ring Road and towns within suburban counties. Relevant authorities will not issue operational or transit permits for such vehicles. Emission tests will be conducted quarterly. Yellow-label vehicles violating the ban will be fined and penalized with demerit points—once every four hours, with no more than two penalties per day. All yellow-label vehicles will be phased out by 2015.

　　Before the end of this year, relevant subsidy policies and measures will be studied and introduced to encourage the replacement of vehicles with hybrid or engines under 1.6 liters, with implementation set for 2014.

　　Regarding the phase-out of old motor vehicles, the cumulative targets from 2013 to 2017 are 180,000, 400,000, 700,000, 850,000, and 1,000,000 vehicles respectively. Priority will be given to phasing out gasoline vehicles meeting the first and second emission standards, while encouraging vehicle scrapping and early retirement of diesel vehicles.

　　Government official vehicles will take the lead in using new energy vehicles, with policies encouraging individual purchases of such vehicles to be implemented next year. The use of new energy and clean-energy vehicles will be strongly promoted in sectors including public transport, taxis, suburban passenger transport, tourism transport, sanitation, postal services, and driving schools.