The Great License Plate Lottery
The odds are stacked against Beijingers for much-coveted licence plates this summer as the City authorities seek new methods of reducing congestion and pollution.
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Beijing traffic jam Image: Saad Akhtar |
In an attempt to ease the city's crowded roads and marginally improve its air quality, Beijing's local government has restricted the number of car licence plates for new vehicles available to its residents.
In order to obtain a valid plate, citizens of Beijing must enter a lottery to compete for one of the 17,600 licences which are up for grabs each month. However, the odds were particularly poor this August as the number of applicants reached a record 653,113.
Though bad news for the car crazy, Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau's deputy director Du Shaozhong insists that the limit on purchases has had a positive effect on the environment. Others, such as former chief economist at the National Bureau of Statistics Yao Jingyuan, are less conviced about the policy.
Yao believes that the restrictive laws are inhibiting Beijing's economic growth, claiming the “limit on car purchases cost the city an extra one percent at least” in the national rankings this year.
