Society

Cars surge despite traffic jams

By Zheng Jinran (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-09-07 15:49

Despite the recent monster traffic jams across in Beijing - Tibet highways, nearly 60 percent of people still intend to buy a new car, according to a survey cited by China Youth Daily Tuesday.

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Of the 1,541 respondents polled, 16 percent already owned cars. 18.1 percent plan to buy a car in the near future and another 32.3 percent within five years. While only 21.1 percent of interviewees have no plans to purchase a vehicle.

People's enthusiasm for private cars fuels the surge in Beijing and other major cities in China. An official at the Beijing Transportation Research Center said the number of vehicles in the capital increased by 1,900 everyday in the first six months of 2010 and will reach seven million in 2015, motoring an average speed about 15 km/h, much slower than rush hour speeds in 2010.

The survey said the majority 60 percent of respondents buy cars for convenience for work or travel, another 27 percent said the poor environment on public transportation motivates them to buy their own vehicle.

But some people purchase new wheels to satisfy their own psychological need, such as vanity, according to Sun Shijin, dean of the department of psychology in Fudan University. He added that the priority for the whole society is to chase after other valuable goals.