Curb abuse of govt vehicles
The government car system should be reformed first to reduce waste before we decide to ban private cars, says an article on the website of People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:
Post-Olympic, it is now being widely discussed whether Beijing should continue the car restriction plan - the odd-even license plate system - adopted specially for the Olympics. This car ban really contributed a lot to the successful hosting of the Olympics, but it seems far-fetched to give all the credit for the improved air quality to the ban. The exhausts of cars, as we know, are just one of the elements that can cause air pollution. If we exaggerate the positive effect of the car ban, it may mislead the decision-makers.
The largest benefit from the car ban is that it can help cut down the traffic flow. Roads are not that congested, traffic jams are less - that is what Beijingers have experienced during the Olympics period.
Since the problems mainly lie in the number of cars, the solution is to curb and reduce the cars on the road. The capital's streets are mainly taken by privately-owned cars and government cars. It is not that difficult to limit private cars; a simple ban is enough. By contrast, to limit government cars may not be that easy. Private car owners tend to consider the costs of driving their cars while the users of government cars may not. They may be driven around the Beijing ring roads only for sending of a box of moon-cakes for their superiors or for the whole morning in the downtown only for a short visit of an old friend, or a fleet of cars may be dispatched for a meeting.
If we continue to adopt the current odd-even car restriction plan, government car users may dodge the ban and continue by buying extra cars. So we should curb the rights of using government cars. It is time to reform the notorious government car system.
If the government can adopt scientific and lawful measures to curb the abuse of cars by officials and crack down on their waste, such measures will definitely be welcomed by the public.
(China Daily 09/03/2008 page8)
