Prudent attitude needed on private vehicle restriction

Transportation authorities in China are calling for more public transportation development to alleviate traffic congestion experienced in major cities throughout the country.

File photo shows the traffic congestion during rush hour in Beijing. [Photo: Xinhua]

The Ministry of Transport has released guidelines promising to offer more support to cities above the prefecture-level in developing modern public transportation systems during the 13th Five-Year-Period, which lasts from 2016 to 2020. Public transportation should take over 75 percent of the total transportation budget and in cities with populations that number five million or above, a bus stop is to be located every 300 meters by the end of the 13th Five-Year-Period.

The guidelines also outline stricter measures to be put in place to control the development of private vehicles, including implementing verified and progressive parking fee systems in urban areas, and reducing private car parking lots in areas with rich public transportation resources.

The guideline specifies more investigation into each city’s transportation situation is needed before the roll out of the congestion fees policy. It also orders a more prudent attitude is needed to restrict private vehicles from using roads and limiting the purchase of private vehicles. Instead, it urges major cities to come up with alternative measures to solve congestion problems.