Beijing
Transportation Policy: Some Recent Updates
by Rebecca Hamilton
Developing countries often face similar problems as their
transportation systems evolve. Traffic
congestion and pollution abound when nations with underdeveloped infrastructure
and inadequate transportation plans are suddenly faced with an inundation of new
drivers now wealthy enough to afford the convenience and status symbol of the
personal vehicle.
In the Chinese capital city of Beijing, the government is
struggling to address these new concerns on an epic scale. Over 5 million cars are owned within the city
with thousands more applying for car ownership permits every day. The relatively underdeveloped public
transportation network paired with extremely high numbers of cars have resulted
in extreme congestion issues and contributed to deplorable air quality
conditions.
Transportation demand management policies are being
implemented to create a more sustainable transportation network and mitigate
externalities. Listed below are three
(of many) national and local policies that have been adopted in the past
several years:
1.) In February 2013, China announced that it would
implement a carbon tax. The proposed plan, although still being
negotiated, would raise the cost of gasoline approximately $0.70/gallon. This tax would disincentivize driving and may
greatly benefit local air quality conditions by reducing the amount of fossil
fuels consumed.
2) “No Car Day”
restrictions were implemented by the city as a temporary tactic to reduce
traffic congestion during the 2008 Summer Olympics. The measure was so successful that officials
have extended the policy. Under this
policy, each car owner is restricted from driving their car one day of the week
based on the last digit of their license plate.
This measure removes one-fifth of the cars from the road each workday.
3.) “The 2011 Package” is a series of traffic demand
management policies designed to expand bus service, limit the number of cars on
the road, and establish parking restrictions.
What do you think? Is Beijing on the right track, or must they be more aggressive in their policies if they are to get their congestion and pollution issues under control?
Sources:
Bajaj, Vikas. “Taxing Carbon.” The New York Times 20
February 2013: http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/taxing-carbon/. 8 April 2013
Xiohuo, Chui. “Beijing car ban to continue.” China Daily 15
March 2010: http://www.cdeclips.com/en/nation/fullstory.html?id=41041.
8 April 2013
Minyin, An, Tanja Grabowski, and Daniel Bongardt. “Traffic Demand Management in Beijing: Work
in Progress.” Beijing Transportation
Research Center
"The proposed plan, although still being negotiated, would raise the cost of gasoline approximately $0.70/gallon"
ReplyDeleteThis caught my eye. I did some back of the envelope math on the US House carbon tax discussion draft and came out with $0.15-0.30 per gallon. China's proposal is more than double that.
In response to your question, "what do you think," I am personally more curious about what Beijing residents think. Have you found any sources that discuss public opinion around transportation, congestion, and/or air pollution? I found a couple news articles that encouraged carpooling, but were fairly vague in their descriptions. One source (1) mentioned unnamed residents who were concerned about safety when carpooling, while another (2) said residents preferred travelling in groups.
ReplyDeleteEither way, carpooling certainly didn't live up to the expectations of planners in California in the 1970s, given what we discussed yesterday in class. I think more aggressive policies could improve air pollution and congestion problems in China. But, I think the US needs to look inward to change our approaches and policies as well. As you mentioned, the car is viewed as a status symbol, which stems from the Western world. I think a shift in car culture and values in both Beijing and the US is necessary, but the "how" is definitely complicated.
(1) http://english.cri.cn/6909/2013/03/28/2941s756472.htm
(2) http://beijing.china.org.cn/2013-04/02/content_28418649.htm