The zero-emission vehicles will save up to 780 tons of gasoline and diesel, and reduce carbon dioxide discharge by 2,510 tons, according to sohu.com news.

Cars drive in the Olympic Lane painted with the five rings on July 10, 2008. Beijing will open 34 Olympic Bus Lanes during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympic Games, some of which will be put into use starting from July 20, 2008. [Xinhua]

Another plan drawn up by Beijing to ensure a smooth flow of traffic, and thus cause less pollution, is the "intelligent transport system".

The system will ease the traffic pressure caused by the influx of millions of spectators and tourists to the city, Sui Yagang, deputy director of Beijing traffic management bureau, told a press conference Sunday.

A total of 126 "intelligent road sensors" have already been installed at intersections of special traffic lanes for the Games, he said.

A sensor will transmit a message to the traffic signal control system as soon as it detects a bus waiting in the Olympic lane at a crossing. The inbuilt software in the system will then change the traffic light to green to shorten the waiting time of the vehicle.

Such sensors will also be installed to improve public transport.

From July 20, Beijing will start an odd-even number traffic control system, too, to ensure smooth traffic flow up to and during the Games.

This means vehicles with odd and even license plate numbers can hit the roads only on alternate days. Drivers violating the rule will be fined 100 yuan ($14).

A mechanism for detecting traffic accidents and recording other incidents will also be used during the Games. This will help traffic police to reach the spots 3 to 5 minutes earlier than usual to handle the situation and avoid unnecessary traffic snarls, Sui said.

Earlier, Zhou Zhengyu, deputy head of Beijing's municipal committee of transport said: "The even-odd system is the same as the one followed during the Athens Olympics. We encourage citizens to take holidays, if possible. Such measures have produced great results during the previous Games."

(China Daily July 14, 2008)