Beijing residents rush to register cars to meet quota system

Residents in Beijing, the city ranked as having the world’s worst traffic, rushed to apply for new vehicle licenses under a quota system started Jan. 1 as China’s government seeks to ease the congestion.

A total of 53,549 applications were made on the first day of the year, more than double the number of license plates to be available each month, the Beijing News reported yesterday.

The government said on Dec. 23 it would set a monthly quota of 20,000 new vehicle licenses in the Chinese capital.

China surpassed the U.S. last year to become the world’s biggest car market as tax cuts and government subsidies aimed at spurring auto sales fueled a surge in traffic. Beijing tied with Mexico as having the world’s worst traffic, according to a survey by International Business Machines Corp. last year.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport opened a website to accept online applications from people wishing to buy a car. Those without Internet connections can register on sites starting tomorrow.

Non-transferrable license plates will be issued through a lottery system that runs on the 26th day of every month after government officials review applications on 25th, according to the measures.

An unprecedented 30,000 new vehicles were registered in Beijing in the week of Dec. 13, boosting the number of autos on the city’s roads to a record 4.76 million, as car buyers rushed to complete purchases before government incentives expired at the end of the month.

Vehicles that aren’t registered in Beijing are now required to apply for a permit before entering the capital, according to the government.

Worst Commute

Motorists ranked the Chinese capital as having the most“onerous” commute in the world, when factors such as traffic predictability, gasoline prices and emotional stress were included, according to the IBM poll, which surveyed 8,192 drivers in 20 cities worldwide.

Beijing tied with Moscow as the city with the most road trips canceled because of anticipated traffic jams. To alleviate congestion, the government already bars cars from roads on specific days each week depending on the last digit of the license plate.

Shanghai, China’s wealthiest city, has since 1986 controlled the number of vehicles on its roads by restricting the number of new car licenses. An ownership permit cost an average 45,291 yuan ($6,800) in November, according to government data.

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