Aug 10, 2007, 8:39 GMT
Beijing - People violating next week's driving bans in Beijing, held in preparation for the 2008 Olympics, face fines of 100 yuan (13 dollars), the Beijing traffic message channel reported Friday.
Despite the report, Liu Jianming, the spokesman for the traffic office for the Chinese capital, didn't want to comment on the amount of the fine, which is half the cost of a ticket for illegal parking.
Liu said instead that he was confident authorities had the understanding of the 15 million residents of Beijing for the most extensive traffic restrictions the city has ever seen.
Beijing plans to conduct a four-day trial run of traffic control measures that could be used during next summer's Olympics.
The August 17-20 measures include alternate-day bans on vehicles with licence plates ending in odd and even numbers and are also aimed at reducing air pollution in Beijing.
The trial measures, which would remove 1.3 million cars from the capital's streets, would allow Beijing to test the effect on its air pollution and evaluate result of its 'contingency plan' for next year, a city government official said.
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