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Beijing is to introduce higher parking fees and reduce its number of parking lots in a bid to ease traffic congestion.

With three million cars in the capital and 1,000 private vehicles being added each month, the Beijing municipal committee of communications hopes the new move will slow down the car-purchase spree.

The city intends to cut the number of parking lots and raise parking fees within the second ring road, Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the committee said.

A detailed plan will be implemented some time this year, he said.

Liu said that the committee will strengthen the transportation system and feels that everyone should help.

"It is every resident's responsibility to alleviate the traffic jam," Liu said.

Parking fees in the city vary depending on the area. Most parking lots in the Wangfujing area, where there's a cluster of stores and shopping malls, charge 5 yuan (64 cents) an hour.

The price falls to about 2 or 3 yuan an hour at less busy places.

Mao Baohua, a professor of the Beijing Jiaotong University, said raising parking fees was a common way for major cities to relieve traffic congestion.

Mao said parking fees could fluctuate based on the area and time of the day.

"Parking fees in Beijing are much lower than in Shanghai and Guangzhou but the traffic conditions are sometimes worse," he said.

Li Jia, a clerk in Beijing, feels current parking fees are quite affordable.

"I always try to find a cheaper place to park my cars, though sometimes it means going further," he said.

He said he would consider abandoning his Audi when he travels to the city if the parking fees were raised.

Many cities are introducing measures to deal with traffic problems.

Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, is reportedly planning to collect "congestion fees" during rush hours.

To alleviate traffic jams, Beijing has been promoting the use of public transportation since last year.

Besides slashing the price of bus tickets, the city has optimized its intricate and redundant bus lines to offer better access to public transport.

This year, 40 new bus lines will be put into use and roads allotted exclusively to buses will grow to 252 km, Liu said.

The construction of new subway lines is also being speeded up.

Liu said he hopes more Beijing residents will opt for public transport this year.

(China Daily April 18, 2007)