Move will not curb number of vehicles in central district

The concept of a congestion charge is not new. Cities such as London and Singapore introduced congestion charges years ago, and they have, to some extent, eased traffic jams in those cities' central districts.

Can Beijing successfully impose such a charge on drivers to solve its traffic problems?

Let us take Singapore as an example. Singapore has less than 1 million cars while Beijing has more than 5.59 million. Some people may argue that Beijing is spread over 16,410 square kilometers while Singapore is only about 700 sq km. But let us not forget that Beijing's main urban area, that is the area within the Fifth Ring Road, is similar to the area of Singapore's main island - and a majority of Beijing's vehicles park inside these urban areas.