Beijing sees clearer roads with fewer vehicles

Twenty minutes after Su Yue posted a message seeking carpool partners on 51pinche.com, a Beijing-based carpool service website, she got five respondents.

Su, 28, a 1.6-liter emission Volkswagen Polo owner, had to leave her even-numbered car at home on the first day of the capital's four-day traffic and air test event.

Along with Su, most even-numbered vehicle-owners took bus and metro to work on Friday following the government's call to get 1.3 million cars off the road in order to improve air quality one year ahead of the Olympics.