Originally Posted by
junipermike
My understanding is that driving is still somewhat restricted in Beijing based on whether you have an odd or even license plate.
A supplier I have in BJ told me, however, that he has two cars, one even, one odd, to get around the restriction. So much for trying to control pollution and traffic congestion.
TMK, the restriction you cite has pretty much been abandoned, in part because of the workaround you mentioned.
The "license plate lottery" is the government's latest defense against the car problem. Every month, 1 in ~12 applicants are given the opportunity to fetch license plates. Naturally, those with 关系 have figured out ways to beat the system, but it has been reasonably effective. That having been said, the Shanghai approach (expensive license plates) is clearly a better solution to the problem at hand.
Worry not; I remain confident that BJ will be a nice place some day; it's basically 30 years behind Tokyo (i.e. give it a chance to catch up), and the guys running the show are not morons.