Beijing may sell automobile license plates by auction instead of the current lottery system from April, as one of planned new measures to ease the city’s traffic congestion

Beijing may sell automobile license plates by auction instead of the current lottery system from April, as one of planned new measures to ease the city’s traffic congestion

The authorities will release new measures before April 10, the day the city’s current traffic restrictions expire. Asked about whether the current car ban restriction would be changed in April, Rong Jun, spokesman for the Beijing municipal commission of transport, said it is still under review by traffic departments

However, he said the capital’s transportation departments are evaluating some market-based reform programs to distribute the car plate quotas

"The final plan has not been made yet. But there are many measures that can be used for reference, such as the car plate auctions in Shanghai," he said

"We have put forward different adjustments several times in the past, but the original measure has ended up being kept every time as we consider residents have got used to it," Rong said

At present one-fifth of the city’s vehicles are banned from the streets each weekday based on their license plate number

Shi Jianhua, deputy secretary general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, urged the government to improve the road infrastructure, instead of imposing restrictions

"The government should think about how to create good rules for society, not limit it," Shi said

He said the government should not deprive people of their right to own and drive a car. He believes optimizing the capital’s road network is the key to solving its congestion problem

But Cassie Zhang, a 32-year-old Beijing resident, said she would welcome a license plate auction with open arms, as she believes it would be more reliable than the current lottery

Zhang put her name on the lottery list last year as her family needs a second car

On Feb 5, the commission unveiled its goals of controlling the traffic congestion indices in the urban center to 5.7 and raising the percentage of environmentally conscious travelling to 71 percent

However, Rong said earlier this month that the department will use "economic leverage and necessary administrative means" to reduce vehicle use this year, and the authorities are considering raising the parking fees in the city’s central area and introducing flexible working times and other measures to ease the traffic pressure

The annual plan issued this month encouraged companies located in busy downtown areas of Beijing, such as the Central Business District, Financial Street and Zhongguancun, to apply flexible commuting times during rush hours for their employees

It also continues promoting the development of new-energy vehicles

Currently 2.58 million Beijing residents have put their name on the waiting list for a car plate

The commission’s five-year plan also mentioned the idea of charging a congestion fee, which has sparked debate

Zhou Zhengyu, head of the commission of transport, said a few months earlier the commission will evaluate the possibility of collecting a congestion fee sometime this year, and discuss collection methods and which areas of the city should be charged