Road pricing vs car ban to control air pollution

If you have to drive to work or get your child to school in your car, think about traffic restrictions that will kick your car off the road at least one day every week.

In Beijing, private drivers who defy the car ban in response to air pollution and traffic congestion risk a 100-yuan ($15) fine each time they are caught. It has never been a popular policy, especially when the restrictions get tougher for extraordinary reasons.

During the heavy smog from Dec 19-22 when private cars were only allowed on the streets on alternate days, the city police issued a whopping 112,800 tickets, including 44,000 on the last day.