Driving people mad

When Zhang Ximan bought her second car before the Olympics, she did not expect Beijing's vehicle restrictions to become permanent.

"I had to buy a new car because I needed it to send my 4-year-old son to kindergarten every day," says Zhang, who lives outside the Fifth Ring Road in eastern Beijing.

Her son's kindergarten is in Haidian, northwestern Beijing, an 80-minute drive away. Zhang thinks the long journey is worthwhile because the kindergarten is affiliated with prestigious Peking University and so guarantees a good education for her son in future.