Proper use of congestion fee can cut traffic jams

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport is considering a trial of congestion charges on vehicles from 2016 to mitigate traffic congestion in the city. The government's priority, as proposed in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) and the Traffic Congestion Mitigation Master Plan, is to reduce traffic in Beijing, one of the most congested cities in China.

With what it calls "planning, constructing, managing and restricting" measures, Beijing plans to equip the transport infrastructure and management with advanced technology so as to modernize the transportation system and build a smart city.

One of the main causes of traffic congestion is uncontrolled urban development. Beijing's monocentric urban development has led to the one-directional flow of traffic during peak hours. The urban sprawl, coupled with ever-increasing vehicle ownership and increasing number of commuters, has outpaced the development of the public transportation system. All these have accumulatively contributed to the severe traffic jams we face every day.