The traffic flow of main roads at peak hours in Beijing increased 10 per cent on average compared with one week ago, a rise which amounts to the drop in percentage of the number of people who think the SARS epidemic here was still "very serious" in a recent survey.

Although the current flow of traffic is only just over half of that in March, police on the roads had to deal with increasing traffic accidents and jams, after weeks in which the capital's 13 million people feared to go out and the streets were almost empty.

Traffic accidents in the Second and Third Ring roads increased by 17 percent and traffic jams soared 40 percent last week, according to statistics from the Beijing Traffic Administration.

The administration forecast that the traffic flow would continue increasing this week as more residents are heading outdoors.

Although drivers may not like to snarl up streets in congestion, the increasing traffic flow is a sign of reviving confidence in the capital city.

Beijing yesterday logged five new confirmed SARS cases, the lowest among the smallest daily totals since April.

As infections ebb, the once-empty streets of Beijing are now full of life again as more people go out of their homes for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Nearly 5,000 private cars crammed the parking lots near the Fragrant Hilsl, a famous scenic spot west of the capital, nearly double the volume year-on-year.

The city's buses witnessed more than 80,000 daily bus journeys last week, the highest since the outbreak of SARS. Meanwhile, the number of passengers in a bus also soared with fewer people wearing masks.

In order to prevent the deadly virus in buses, the city's Public Transportation Corporation will increase the frequency of bus journeys to ensure that the volume of passengers is under 50 per cent of the full load.

Moreover, the corporation restructured 200-plus buses whose windows were sealed, and buses with air conditioners were urged to open all their windows when using the cooling facilities.

So far, the corporation has invested more than 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) in bus disinfection, and no people were infected with the killer virus when they took buses, according to Zheng Shusen, president of the corporation.

(China Daily May 27, 2003)