China’s capital city of Beijing is already home to 5.4 million
cars, the most of any Chinese city. The country’s rising wealth means
that this is a trend unlikely to stop. This rapid motorization has led
to many city government “quick fixes” aimed at easing congestion
problems in the short-term. In Beijing and other cities, these include
creating numerous expressways, flyovers, and tunnels throughout the
city. But this infrastructure that immediately “fixes” the problem never
quite seems to keep up with the mounting number of vehicles on the road
for long.
To provide better air quality and faster, safer mobility
for its 11.5 million residents, on November 5, 2013, the Beijing
launched its “Work Plan for Vehicle Emission Control 2013-2017”. This plan includes lowering car-licensing quotas from 240,000 to 150,000 cars per year, while increasing the annual quota for electric vehicles from 20,000 units in 2014 to 60,000 units by 2017, and creating the charging stations needed to support these vehicles.
Congestion pricing is one of the most contested
components of the work plan, but is also one of the potentially
transformational moves that will bring sustainable transport investment
and equitable mobility to Beijing. The success of congestion pricing
will rest on how this new charging scheme is perceived and how its
revenue is reinvested in the community.
Read more @ EMBARQ
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