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  Yahoo News 4 Jul 07
Beijing to ban a million cars in clean air test

PlanetArk 4 Jul 07
Beijing Taking Million Cars Off Streets in August Trial

GUATEMALA CITY - Beijing officials will withdraw one million cars from the city's streets next month in a trial run as plans are drawn up to reduce pollution levels for next year's Olympics.

Pollution has been a worry for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as China's economic boom has fuelled increased energy consumption. "Concerns (over pollution) within the IOC executive board were eased," IOC director of communications Giselle Davies told reporters on Monday after receiving a progress report from Beijing organisers earlier in the day.

"They have a plan from Aug. 7-20 this year: one million cars will be off the road."

She said organisers would trial several plans this year that are designed to prepare the city for the Olympics.

"Obviously the test events provide an excellent opportunity to try out contingency measures that may be used if necessary at the Games," said Davies, who is in Guatemala City for Wednesday's announcement of the host venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Organisers have also said Beijing authorities would replace about 50,000 old taxis and 10,000 buses by the end of the year as well as renovate 16,000 coal-burning factories.

China has slowed, but not reversed, a rising tide of pollution from frenetic industrialisation, the national environment agency said last month in the face of increasing public anger over foul air and water.

The country has promised to cut emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010 but failed last year to meet the annual target.

Yahoo News 4 Jul 07
Beijing to ban a million cars in clean air test

Beijing is planning to ban a million cars from the city's streets for two weeks next month as a test-run to ensure clean air at next year's Olympics, officials said here Wednesday.

"The plan has been drawn up and is ready to go," said Fan Yinlong, a city government spokesman, referring to a range of measures that will include the ban on one million cars in notoriously polluted Beijing from August 7-20.

That two-week period is crucial to Olympic planners, as it roughly coincides with the time that the Games will be held next year, from August 8-24. Beijing will also host 11 Olympic test events during the fortnight, including cycling road races, wrestling, hockey and beach volleyball.

Beijing has spent around 15 billion dollars on a massive pollution clean-up in the run-up to the Olympics, according to city officials, but air quality remains a key concern.

Despite assurances from the Chinese government, International Olympic Committee leaders have expressed deep concern about the problem and demanded "contingency measures" to contain the pollution threat.

Beijing Olympic organising committee spokeswoman Zhu Jing also confirmed that the traffic ban was being prepared as part of the one-year countdown test program.

Zhu said the plan to remove one million of Beijing's three million cars was inspired by a similar campaign that proved effective during a China-Africa summit hosted by Beijing last year.

"Air quality was better, and traffic congestion improved," she said.

Zhu said the measures would be officially announced once they are approved by the city's rubber-stamp People's Congress on July 24.
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