Jaunted

Beijing Olympics

Too Little Too Late Travel: Beijing Desperately Trying to Clear the Air

July 21, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

With 18 days to go before the Olympics, officials in Beijing have started their ambitious project to clear the city's badly polluted air. For the next two months, half the capital's cars will be required to stay off the road on alternating days, depending on whether a given license plate ends with an even or odd number.

Though officials don't have a precise target in mind for pollution reduction, anything would be better than the smog- and haze-filled skies currently choking the city.

Fortunately for commuters, two new subway lines and a new airport-to-city rail link opened over the weekend, and an additional 3,000 buses will hit the streets by August 8. All told, the expanded public transportation network during the games could handle an additional 3.6 million people daily.

Related Stories:
· Beijing's New Rail and Subway Lines [BT]
· Beijing Traffic Plan Tests Commuters [CNN]
· Olympics Travel: Beijing's Trying to Clean up Its Air [Jaunted]
· Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Boris van Hoytema]