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Beijing Residents Debate Plate Restrictions as Ring Road Traffic Persists
Locals describe how license rules and high ownership costs push many toward transit and two-wheelers even as traffic lingers on major routes.
How we reported this
Beijing drivers continue to face weekday bans tied to the final digit on their license plates, a system that limits when residents can use their vehicles inside the city.
The measure addresses congestion on the ring roads that persists through much of the day despite the presence of the world's largest subway network and walkable access to many daily services. With roughly six million vehicles serving a population of 22 million in a denser urban form than many western cities, the restrictions remain in place to curb demand, according to a September 2025 report from The Overhead Wire.
Plate lottery and daily enforcement shape choices
Residents report that obtaining a plate involves both a substantial fee and entry into a lottery, on top of purchase taxes already applied to new cars. Those who secure a plate then follow a rotating schedule that bars driving one workday each week, with traffic police and cameras monitoring compliance across the urban core. Non-residents face a complete ban on entering that core, forcing visitors to park at the edges or switch to high-speed rail and subway connections.
One local guide noted that fines run around 100 RMB for each four-hour period of violation, a cost that can multiply quickly for anyone caught on their restricted day. Many residents therefore leave cars at home and rely on the subway or walking for routine trips, though the same wide bike lanes also accommodate numerous two- and three-wheelers that move through traffic more freely.
Practical steps for daily travel
People who still own vehicles often combine them with transit for longer journeys, parking on the outskirts when needed. Others forgo car ownership altogether given the combined expenses of purchase, plate acquisition and ongoing restrictions. The pattern suggests that even with heavy investment in rail, managing private-vehicle growth requires continued limits on when and where cars can operate.
Travelers planning trips inside Beijing can check the last digit of any rented or borrowed plate against the weekly schedule before setting out, or simply default to the subway and bike lanes that already carry large shares of local movement.