Beijing Trying to Reduce Pollution Before Olympics

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Traffic flowed a little smoother. Busy avenues had fewer cars. By nightfall, even the hazy sky had mostly cleared.

Commuters crowd a subway train in Beijing Monday, July 21, 2008. Many commuters switched to the...

Commuters crowd a subway train in Beijing Monday, July 21, 2008. Many commuters switched to the subway on Monday, the first workday for restrictions on car use under a bold plan to clear the Olympic city of its notorious smog-choked skies. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

(AP)

Such were the results at the start of a government-imposed plan to reduce Beijing's foul air pollution before next month's Olympics.

Millions of commuters turned to subways, buses and car pools as the strict program sought to take half of Beijing's 3.3 million cars off the road.

In parts of the city, traffic was visibly lighter at the start of this week than on other workdays.

"There were much fewer vehicles on the airport expressway, and I could drive much faster," said civil servant Lin Kai, shaving with an electric razor while sitting in his parked car.

He said he bought a new bicycle because of the restrictions and would try to pedal to work a few times a week despite the summer heat and the hour-long ride.

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The two-month operation that began Sunday bans cars with odd-numbered license plates one day, even-numbered plates the next. The ambitious attempt to ensure "blue sky days" by the time 10,500 athletes and 500,000 visitors arrive for the Aug. 8-24 Olympics includes construction cutbacks and factory closures.

Those caught driving on days they should not will be fined $14, a stiff penalty even for Beijing. It wasn't known how many tickets were issued; phones rang unanswered all day at the police traffic management bureau.

Sun Weide, spokesman for Beijing's Olympic organizing committee, said the plan should reduce vehicle emissions by 63 percent. The emissions are a major cause of the thick, gray-brown haze that often hides the city's skyline.

Changes in air quality will be monitored by experts from the city's environmental protection bureau, which has 27 survey stations around Beijing and another 18 in Olympic venues, according to the state-run Beijing Times newspaper.

So far, "the air in the city is good, the density of pollutants has fallen," the report said, citing the bureau. But it will take at least 20 days for results to be conclusive, deputy director Du Shaozhong was cited as saying.