1st Ld: Driving restriction taken out from draft amendment

China's newest air pollution draft law no longer contains clauses allowing local governments to restrict or ban vehicles to fight air pollution, China's top legislature saw on Monday.

The first draft of the Air Pollution Control Law allowed local governments to restrict or ban vehicles in specified areas and during specified times. The second draft added a clause that said restrictions should consider public opinion.

The clauses were deleted after lawmakers and members of the public argued that the restrictions "are related to" citizens' rights to property and the law has sparked "huge public reaction".

It is up to local legislatures to decide whether a driving ban will be adopted in their jurisdiction, and driving restrictions will only be provided in local legislation based on actual need, according to the report.

In a bid to control smog, Chinese cities have begun to restrict use of vehicles. In Beijing, vehicles are restricted one out of five weekdays based upon the last numbers of their license plates. As lawmakers are reading the draft amendment, half of Beijing's cars are off the road.

A traffic restriction will be imposed from Aug. 20 to Sept. 3, allowing even-numbered license plate owners to drive on some days and odd-number drivers to drive on others, as the city gears up to host the IAAF track and field World Championships and the World War II victory parade. Endi