China´s capital city strives to clear skies

There has been another change in the new traffic regulation. The ban will be effective from 7am to 8 pm on weekdays instead of the previous 6 am-9 pm rule.

The new rules are expected to take off the roads 20 percent of the city's 3.61 million vehicles each day, excluding on weekends.

"I felt like I saw the sky in Beijing for the first time during the Olympics. The sky would always be hazier in Beijing, but during the Olympics, I actually saw the blue sky. I liked it so much. It was such a visible and clear sky. I hope the government make the current rules as stricter as during the Olympics," said Pliny, a colleague of mine at Xinhuanet.

Chris, another colleague, said the new rules are more convenient for people, especially for car owners. The two-hour relaxation from the previous regulation has given a chance to car owners to avail the time. In other words, they can enjoy early morning drive until 7 am and drive for a few hours after 8 pm.

"I am in favor of traffic rules in Beijing, given the terrible traffic situation here. It is a great relief from huge traffic jams, even though some car owners are troubled by the regulation," said Amy.

Karl said: " I fully support the current traffic rules. Although I don't own a car, seeing less cars on the streets while I walk down to my university and work place, presents a better picture of traffic management in Beijing besides providing a cleaner environment."

"I feel bad because I can't drive everyday now. But it is a wake up call for all of us, especially when climate change caused by gas emissions is increasingly threatening lives of people. It is high time that we all kept our environment clean and look for a chance to contribute to it in one way or the other," says a car owner.

Another car owner said: "before Olympics, I hardly realized how hard it was for people in public buses to travel amid serpentine line of cars. But when I started using public transportation it opened my eyes to the reality. The explosion in number of cars in Beijing is a major contributor to Beijing's hazier skies."

Editor:Liu Anqi