The city of Beijing is taking additional steps in order to make the city free of various pollutants. The city’s authorities announced on November 28, 2013 that they will decrease the number of new car plates which will be made available to customers and encourage them to use new-energy vehicles. These steps will be taken in the next four years which will help in easing the congestion and will also help in reducing air pollution, which has been one of the major concerns of the city.
As of 2014 and until 2017, the number of new vehicles which will be available to drivers in Beijing will be reduced to 150,000, from the original number of 240,000. The number of new car registrations is currently managed through the city’s plate lottery which happens on a monthly basis and 14 municipal authorities have stated a new regulation on November 28, 2013.
In the last lottery in November 2013, the number of applicants was more over 1.74 million. Beijing’s license plate lottery regulation stated that only drivers who are permanent residents of the capital, or those immigrants who have paid taxes for more than five years can apply for their license plates. In the next four years, the number of car licenses for new-energy vehicles will be increased and will reach 60,000 in 2017.
In the meantime, the number of new gasoline vehicles will be reduced on a yearly basis.
Photo Credits: Bloomberg
