CRI听力：Beijing Starts Traffic Limit

Beijing started a traffic limit trial on Friday, taking about 1.3 million vehicles off the roads, as a test measure to improve air quality ahead of next year's Olympic Games.

The four-day- ban is to test the effects of this move on environmental quality. It's also hoped the test would indicate its effects on easing congestion and how well public transportation could cope.

Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, says the traffic limit had been adopted in some countries and cities to reduce environmental pollution, and that Olympics host cities such as Athens and Atlanta also took this measure during the Olympics.

By introducing the traffic limit, Beijing Municipal government hopes to draw some experiences for next year's real run.

"As the Olympic Games draw near, the environment here has drawn increasing attention from both home and abroad. The municipal government decided to adopt traffic limit and test the air quality from Aug 17 to 20, during which the "2007 Good Luck Beijing" sporting events are relatively frequent."

Cars with odd-numbered license plates are banned from the roads on Friday and Sunday, while cars with even-numbered registrations are banned on Saturday and Monday.