Comment on "Car plate applicants exceed 1m in Beijing" (China Daily, Aug 27)

Fewer people will buy cars if Beijing can improve its public transport system. People who drive or take public transport from Beijing's outskirts (especially from beyond 5th Ring Road) to their workplaces in downtown areas cause much of the traffic jam in the city. I feel sorry for them because they don't have a choice.

It could take commuters two to three hours to reach their destinations because of the poor connectivity and overcrowding of public transport. That's why it would be naive to think a person would leave his/her car in the garage and suffer the travails of public transport. Riding a private vehicle is any day better than taking public transport. So to dissuade people from buying private vehicles and adding to the traffic woes, charges like parking fee and road tax should be increased considerably and save a lot of people a lot of trouble.

Ruud, on China Daily website

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(China Daily 08/31/2012 page9)