Although I do understand that certain restrictions should be made, the odd/even is probably not the answer. I certainly don't have the answer to what will work, but perhaps a higher amount of money to paid in order to buy a car or registering a car might be the way to go. Another thought could be having the odd/even but only to be enforced in certain areas like within the 4th ring road, might help.

Seems that on the 28th of this month the restriction on odd/even is lifted for cars outside the 5th Ring road which is good news for me as now I will be able to drive somewhere if I need to when I get home.
However even after all the restrictions are lifted, I still will use the subway. It takes me about 20 minutes longer, but saves money, occasional aggravation, and will reduce traffic and emissions on my account.

I drive, and it would be less convenient for me, but I think they should keep the restrictions, perhaps inside the third ring or third ring and in.

I doubt it will make a huge difference if they make it permanent it I will just buy a second car.

Personally I think they should ban cars inside the 3rd ring road. Make it a bus and taxi only zone with some sort of an electric bicycle lane maybe. Just go for something out of the box

i pretty much guarantee anyone saying 'keep the restrictions' don't have a car. of course a few exceptions to the rules, but as a whole, i imagine like the first poster, it's people who dont have a car in favor of keeping restrictions when it really doesn't affect them.
...can you imagine what it actually costs to run car? besides the purchase price, also have insurance, gas, taxes, maintenance..if now the gov't said, 'oh by the way, you can no longer drive your car unless we say it's ok' i'd be pretty furious!! I DO take the subway to work and when it's more convenient, but if they did make odd/even thing, they should have a grandfather clause so those who already paid through the ass for a car don't get screwed over. plus i imagine re-sale prices of cars would plummet because can no longer drive it everyday, so i'd be stuck with a car i could never sell and can only drive half the time!!
...sorry this was long..but here's the point. if they did consider this, i suggest they poll only people who actually drive because it affects them. sure you can complain about the smog and everything else, but until you spent hundreds of thousands of hard-earned yuan to buy something, only to be told you can't use it half the time you couldn't understand. imagine the gov't told you from now on you can only use your laptop every other day to save electricity..you'd be pissed off..admit it!!...and thats pennies compared to a car.
haha

Admin, sorry, but an additional comment or two. Since when is taking away 50% of my right to use my car a "minor inconvenience. O do not own a car in BJ yet, but I will in a few months, but only if the restriction is removed. If my take from a project is large enough, I will just buy two cars. But not just one that is restricted.

Higher taxes are just saying to BJ'ers and others that the little guy shouldn't be allowed a car. Of course, that is fair in China, isn't it?

James in BJ

You try telling that to the new upwardly mobile Chinese middle class who now have a high degree of Automotive fever. The Chinese wish to be like the rest of the world and I don't think they will stand for any such restrictions for a long period of time. Those days are past in China. The people will think it is a government problem and the government should take care of the problem without it affecting the quality of their materialism. This is the new China and the people are finding their voices everyday. Take away a right of the people today and it reeks of Mao and he has been past these 32 years. The restrictions may be a good thing, however unless it is the thought of the people I don't believe the restrictions will work. Take something away from the Chinese people and they will disobey something else in order to retrieve what they feel is rightfully theirs. Restrictions at this avenue in time. I feel it is a pipe dream.

As for road management Germany and The United States(except in the east) have already accomplished this so perhaps China could take a page from their books.

Your other post is a valid one but as I said it will have to come from the people themselves. I do not believe that implementation by the government will work with the mood of the people today especially toward automobiles. Materialism is the game and the glory of wealth and status supersedes all else.

I do not disagree with Admin, however it is a matter of a different Chinese society and either restricting or taking away rights that have already been given to them. At the moment,unfortunately, in this country, it is the rights of the rich that are most valuable. The Chinese are not that nationalistic and everyone wishes to be rich or at least act rich and I see a major uproar after some time over such restrictions. I still believe that although they will work in theory they will not work in reality. You mentioned yourself that a fake plate industry would spring up if it has not already done so and there would be continued corruption. Restrictions are an idea but not the solution.

I have no car so of course I want to keep it in place, but also like Admin said- It was gorgeous yesterday and today for that matter!

I like clean air- I can tolerate the stinky subway if there is beauty to great me when I come out of it!

Definitly YES. Health is more important than everything else.

Nowadays many of the "white-collar workers" own cars. If you go to office by car, it is nothing special any more.
Go by bycicle instead, even if it is 15 or 20km. It will take you one hour, the same time as going by bus or car (when going by car, calculate your time for looking for a parking lot, maitaining and washing your car ...).
The colleagues will be REALLY impressed and the opposite sex will like you, because you become muscular and healthy!

I figure less than half of the air pollution in Beijing is from vehicles. The odd-even scheme may reduce air pollution only by 10-20%. The biggest effect of the odd-even rule is perhaps in that it creates the kind of pressure as "We 10 million people are doing our part so the polluters are supposed to do theirs, too." so the gov't can go ahead and keep its promise to keep those polluting factories closed after the Olympics until they meet certain green standard. I think shutting down polluting factories might have greater effect than the odd-even scheme itself.