Beijing considers congestion charge

According to Chinese website Xinhua, Beijing is likely to trial a congestion charge in a bid to address its congestion and air quality. Close to 5.6 million vehicles vie for space on Beijing's roads and vehicle emissions account for 31 per cent of the city's smog sources, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.
December 3, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

According to Chinese website Xinhua, Beijing is likely to trial a congestion charge in a bid to address its congestion and air quality.

Close to 5.6 million vehicles vie for space on Beijing's roads and vehicle emissions account for 31 per cent of the city's smog sources, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.

Beijing topped the traffic congestion list of 45 major domestic cities in the second quarter of 2015, and the frequent use of ride-hailing services was cited in a report as a major reason. Commuters in Beijing spent on average 32 minutes per hour in traffic jams while travelling during rush hours, according to a report by AutoNavi Software. Rush hour congestion was 36.4 per cent higher in July than the previous year.

"We are looking into the possibility of a congestion fee in certain areas," said Zhou Zhengyu, director of Beijing transport commission.

Beijing will further tighten its traffic controls and deliberate policies that will encourage companies to adopt different working hours, Zhou said.

The city has rolled out various policies to address air quality and congestion, such as restricting vehicles from using the roads on one out of five weekdays based upon the vehicle’s last license plate digits.

Air Quality & Weather Systems Urban Traffic Control Charging, Tolling & RUC

Related Content

  • Upsala installs Actibump traffic calming
    July 31, 2014
    The Swedish city of Uppsala has become the third city in the country to install Edeva’s Actibump in a bid to improve traffic congestion on a busy four-lane road. According to Edeva, its Actibump traffic calming solution creates road safety through greater compliance with speed limits. Actibump is a metal trough six centimetres deep in the road surface, which the developers say is deep enough for drivers to notice, but not so deep as to cause damage to the vehicle. The system utilises a roadside rad
    Read More
  • Investigating charging methods for open road tolling
    January 30, 2012
    Toll system suppliers are considering service structures and technologies needed to address issues of social exclusion in open road tolling. Jason Barnes asked Telvent's Pat McGowan to explain moves to address the needs of all toll customers
    Read More
  • Hurdles to MaaS adoption highlighted
    January 25, 2018
    Jack Opiola talks to some MaaS advocates in the US. Cities will accommodate almost 60% of the world’s population by 2025 and technology is outpacing transportation plans and planners - putting extreme pressures upon planners and transportation systems alike. Big data, digital payments, ubiquitous communications, smartphone applications, on-demand travel and autonomous vehicles are all shredding existing transport plans. Never before has the pace of population growth and the tools to address this problem
    Read More
  • UK traffic congestion getting worse says new report
    June 4, 2014
    Traffic congestion in cities across the UK has got significantly worse over the past year, according to a new report from TomTom. The fourth annual Traffic Index from TomTom shows average journeys in 2013 took 27 per cent longer than they would in free-flowing traffic – up from a 26 per cent delay in 2012.
    Read More

Highlighted Content