Officials Deny Rumors of Congestion Fee for Beijing Vehicles
By Justine Lopez
You might remember hearing something about a “congestion fee” that would be imposed on vehicles driving within the Second Ring Road starting in 2017. Well, according to transport authorities in the capital that’s not actually going to happen.
Authorities are now suggesting that the whole thing was an out-of-control rumor, Ecns.cn reports.
Earlier this year it was widely reported that officials would charge vehicles what some estimated would be an RMB20-50 fee for driving within the Second Ring Road. The charge would depend on the hour of the day and the frequency in which vehicles use the roads.
Word has also spread that license plates in the capital would be placed into two categories – "Jing" (Beijing) and "Shou" (Capital) – as part of an odd-even ban. Depending on the plate, owners would only be able to operate their vehicles every other day.
Authorities are now stating that no official notices have been released to the public and that these are purely rumors.
[Image via Reuters]
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