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BEIJING - Beijing launched new driving restrictions on Sunday that will ban more than a million cars from its streets in a bid to rein in the city's notorious air pollution and traffic for next month's Olympics.
Traffic on the capital's normally bustling streets was noticeably light on Sunday, even for a weekend, amid the new rules that will ban cars with odd- and even-numbered licence plates from the roads on alternate days for two months.
However, despite the measures a light haze hung over the city on Sunday morning under an otherwise clear blue sky.
The rules, in effect until September 20, are part of a wider campaign to try to clear the air in Beijing, which is typically wrapped in an acrid haze caused by vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions.
Other measures include the shutting down of polluting industries and closing of building sites during the Games.
International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge warned last year that poor air quality during the August 8-24 Games could result in the suspension of some events, particularly endurance races such as the marathon.
The largest source of pollution is believed to be the emissions from the city's 3.3 million vehicles, whose ranks swell by an estimated 1,000 per day as increasingly affluent Beijing residents can afford the luxury of their own car.
Only cars with even-numbered licence plates were allowed on the streets Sunday, and motorcycle police could be seen at key intersections watching the traffic.
Motorists face a fine of 100 yuan (14 dollars) for driving on the wrong day, according to the city's transportation bureau.
Despite rising affluence in Beijing, a 100-yuan fine remains a significant deterrent for many Chinese, where annual incomes remain far lower than those in developed countries. - AFP/vm
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