The road-clogged capital is expected to extend controversial restrictions on car use as traffic jams continue to be one of the city's most serious headaches.

Liu Xiaoming, director of the Beijing municipal communications commission, told a public radio show on Saturday that the "No-Car Day" restriction is likely to be enforced again this year.

"Authorities are finalizing assessments of the current ban among some members of the public and policy advisors. We will soon make the announcement," Liu said.

The car ban, under which Beijing's car owners are prohibited from driving one day each week based on the last digit of their car plates, has been in place since last April. The government said the restriction keeps more than 800,000 cars, or one-fifth of the city's 4.2 million cars, off the roads.

In addition to the car ban, authorities will also modify regular office hours, raise car park fees, apply congestion fees and extend bus and shuttle services to keep the traffic flow smooth.

"By these efforts, we hope commuters in Beijing can reach any destination within the Fifth Ring Road in the space of an hour," Liu said.

The Beijing Transportation Research Center, a government-funded organization, said in an annual report published in January that due to to the traffic restrictions, congestion last year was down 7.4 percent from 2008.

Mao Baohua, a government adviser on transportation policies, has said that the number of cars in Beijing is already out of control, so restrictions like the car ban and raising congestions fees are the only choices left for the government.

Beijing's transportation chief also said the city will not restrict car ownership for local people.

(China Daily March 15, 2010)