Capital bans high-emission vehicles

High-emission or yellow-labeled vehicles will be banned from Beijing roads from July to September to ensure green Olympics and Paralympics as promised by the authorities, environment officials said yesterday.

There are currently more than 3.3 million vehicles in the capital. Yellow labels are displayed on the windscreens of more than 300,000 vehicles that fall short of the Euro I emission standard, the lowest of the European emission standards.

"All yellow-labeled vehicles, most of which are freight trucks, will be banned from roads in Beijing from July 1 to Sept 20," said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau.