Beijing moves to take high-emission cars off ring road

Municipal authorities in Beijing implemented a scheme effective January 8 to remove more than 350,000 “yellow label”-rated high-emission cars from the roads within the city’s Fifth Ring Road. Cars in specific number plate groups will be banned on one of five weekdays. Drivers of yellow-label cars will be fined 100 yuan (US$14.6) if detected on these inner city roads after a three-month grace period, which will end on April 2009. The measure is expected to reduce traffic density by about 10%. (January 2, 2009)