The Beijing authorities will restrict the use of vehicles belonging to government departments and state-owned enterprises, and shorten school hours to ease traffic congestion during the China-Africa forum between November 1 and 5.

Half of the business vehicles from central government departments and army vehicles in Beijing, and 80 percent of the cars from the Beijing municipal government departments and the provincial bureaus located in the capital, will be banned from the roads during the forum, according to a traffic security plan.

The plan is seen as a practical rehearsal for the traffic arrangements during the 2008 Olympics.

Owners of the business vehicles should report the registration plate details of the vehicles to be suspended to local traffic security offices, the plan said.

Traffic police will use an comprehensive information system, which contains details of all vehicles in Beijing, to check whether or not the suspended vehicles stay off the road.

There will also be a limit on the number of vehicles allowed to enter the downtown area from the suburbs during the forum.

The municipal education authorities will ask primary and middle schools to finish early next Thursday and Friday so the students will not be traveling home at rush hour, said the plan issued by the Beijing Municipal Traffic Security Committee.

Beijing now has 500,000 company vehicles and 2 million private cars.

The plan also told government institutions to adjust their working hours so no employee is traveling to work between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on November 2 and 3, and 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on November 6.

The municipal government also called on citizens to take buses or ride bicycles instead of driving private cars during the forum.

More than 40 African countries will attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.