THE number of vehicles registered in Shenzhen is expected to soon hit 2 million, with the city issuing 800 to 1,000 new registrations per day.

Combining those numbers with vehicles registered outside Shenzhen means about 2.3 million vehicles are on local roads, creating significant traffic and air quality challenges.

It took only five years for Shenzhen’s car count to double, from 1 million vehicles in 2007.

According to city road safety management rules that took effect in January, the government can take necessary measures to control vehicle numbers, such as increasing operation costs, encouraging use of public transport and limiting the number of vehicles allowed in busy areas during rush hours. Shenzhen’s transport commission is considering whether to increase parking fees in central business districts to encourage use of buses and the Metro.

At the annual meeting of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, a political advisory body, member Xiong Xianlin suggested the city address traffic congestion with five tools: an extensive road network, a multi-dimensional transport system, a quick response system to handle traffic accidents and more encouragement of “green commuting,” or public transport.

In addition, he suggested the government create more parking spaces by converting empty lots and building more new lots near Metro stations.

Shenzhen traffic police don’t plan to control vehicle numbers by restricting license plates, as occurred in Beijing and Shanghai.

(Han Ximin)