By Xinhua,
Beijing : About 1,500 cars join the already clogged roads in this Chinese capital city daily, increasing traffic pressure and safety risks, officials said Tuesday.
A total of 65,970 new vehicles have been registered in Beijing in the first 45 days of this year, with a daily increase of 1,466 vehicles, the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau said.
Beijing, ranked among the world’s most polluted cities, registered 58,590 new drivers in the same period, a daily increase of 1,302, the bureau said.
Song Jianguo, the bureau head, said the city was facing “serious traffic pressure and safety risks” due to the growing number of automobiles.
“The problems seemed more prominent in the outskirts of Beijing with the lack of safety facilities,” he added.
Huang Wei, vice mayor of Beijing, said the number of people killed in traffic accidents fell under 1,000 people in 2008, the lowest in 10 years.