Beijing can ensure good traffic during Games, official
29/7/2008 18:07
Beijing has established a highly efficient system to provide a
high-quality public transportation system for the up-coming Olympic Games, a
Beijing traffic official ensured journalists in Beijing today.
Just 10 days
away from the opening of the 29th Games, vice director of the Beijing Traffic
Management Bureau Wang Li was quite confident after a series of measures adopted
to ease the traffic congestions in the city of 17 million people and 3.36
million vehicles.
"We are confident that we will satisfy the international
community, athletes and the tourists from different countries and regions. We
are confident to implement all the control measures. We are ready," she told
reporters.
Beijing planned to remove as many as two million cars off the road
during the Games and introduced even-odd policy which allows private cars with
even and odd license plate numbers to run on alternate days for the next two
months on July 20 when 285.7 kilometers of Olympic lanes, lanes dedicated to
vehicles serving the Olympic Games, were launched.
Since the adoption of the
rules, Wang said, traffic conditions turned much better.
"We have seen 78.8
percent of reduction in the traffic jam reports and 47.1 percent of reduction in
accident reports," she said. "The peak of the traffic load on seven major roads
dropped by 24.7 percent."
"We are very thankful for the supports of Beijing
citizens who are so understanding and supportive," she said.
Wang said
redemptive services were provided to private car drivers to offset some of
inconvenience brought about by the new rules.
If a couple own two cars that
are both with odd or even plate numbers, they can ask for plate number
alternation for one car. School vehicles can register for temporary passes for
specified periods of time while disabled drivers will be given special
passes.
But Wang admitted that there were other reasons to cause traffic jam
besides the number of cars.
"I can't guarantee (there is no congestion at
all) because nobody can say 100%. There are other elements that need to be taken
into account," she said.
"For example, in raining days there might be water
on the road that slows down the traffic. So I can't 100% guarantee that there
won't be any traffic jams. What I can guarantee is that athletes can get to
their destinations on time," she said. "We have very tailor made prepared
controlled plans. "
Xinhua
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