Modest targets set for easing congestion

Expanding the subway and bike lane networks should help reduce gridlock in downtown Beijing, but authorities do not expect to see major improvements in traffic flow in 2018, information released over the weekend suggests.

The city aims to maintain a level of 5.7 on the traffic index this year, meaning "mild congestion", Rong Jun, a spokesman for the Beijing Transport Commission, said on Saturday during Beijing's ongoing two sessions. The index for the past two years has been 5.6.

He said the government will release a plan containing multiple measures for tackling traffic jams after the annual meetings of the city's top legislature and advisory bodies, which end on Tuesday.