China Says Car Bans Will Stop After Olympics

"Olympic host city Beijing has no plans to extend traffic control measures that have seen half the cars taken off the roads past the Games, despite their success at curbing pollution and congestion, an official said on Wednesday. But Zhou Zhengyu, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications, added he hoped citizens would continue talking public transport of their own will and leave their cars at home voluntarily once the Olympics finish."

"Under the rules, in force from July 20 to Sept. 20, cars are banned on alternate days depending on whether their licence plates end in odd or even numbers, part of emergency steps taken by Beijing to ease smog levels that could affect athletes."