Beijing’s Vehicle Population Reached 3,765,000
August 3, 2009
As of July 26, 2009, Beijing’s vehicle population has reached 3,765,000 and the number of vehicle drivers has totaled 5,447,000.
In recent years, the vehicle population in Beijing has been increasing at a high speed, up by 423,000 in 2007 and 498,000 in 2008. Up to first half of this year, there are over 300,000 new vehicles and within only two and a half years, Beijing has added more than 120 million vehicles. Especially in the first half of this year, the daily increased number of motor vehicles is about 1,700, up by 40% over the same period last year. This rapid growth has continuously broken the records. This June, with an increase of 58,000, becomes the month with the largest increase of vehicle population in the history of motor vehicles in Beijing. While on the day of January 23, the number of new motor vehicles totaled 4,260, a record high for the daily increase of vehicle population, among these newly added ones, small-displacement motor vehicles account for more than half becoming the most popular choice among consumers.
Apart from the rapid growth of motor vehicles, the number of drivers is also on the rise. In the first half of this year, the number of new drivers reached nearly 300,000. Since it takes time for the new drivers to master the driving skills and cultivate the ability to cope with emergencies, a large number of green hands driving on road will objectively increase the traffic accidents and add to the traffic pressure.
In the second half of this year, the vehicle population is still in rapid growth. With the economic development, the price of cars has fallen down, and to purchase a car is no longer a luxury. As summer holidays come, many college students will register with driving schools to learn driving, and some parents will buy their children cars as a reward for their outstanding school performance.
In addition, in order to pursue a better life, numerous families are not satisfied with possessing merely one private car, and there are an increasing number of families owning two or three cars. Furthermore, the government has recently introduced the preferential policy for vehicle purchasing in rural areas, and the payment of car allowance funds that have been put in the right place will expand the range of favored vehicle types after adjustments, which shall be a significant boost for the consumers anticipating the price to go down, in particular, for farmers. Stimulated by various factors, people’s eagerness to purchase vehicles will grow continuously in the future, and the motor vehicle population will also keep the tendency of rapid growth in the second half of this year.
Nonetheless, the rapid growth of both the vehicles and drivers directly brings about the increasingly accelerated road transportation pressures. The current situation featuring saturated urban roads, the emergence of a large number of green hands and weak law-abiding consciousness of some individual drivers, as well as the frequent occurrence of such violations as arbitrary merge, illegal parking, etc. will exert significant effect upon the smoothness and security of the road transportation. Hence, BTMB hereby would like to make specific suggestions that under the situation of the rapid growth of motor vehicles, the contradictions between the vehicles and roads will witness the continuous acceleration, and avoiding traffic violations and complying with the law when driving the vehicle shall be deemed as the responsibilities and obligations of every single driver. Driving and parking the vehicle in order may not only reflect the quality of civilization, but also lay a foundation for creating a harmonious and orderly traffic environment. |