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Prayers for strong winds look set to become a major component of Beijing's Olympic preparations after a traffic-reduction trial failed to shift the smog that hangs over the city.
More than a million cars were taken off the roads for the four-day test period, but there was no improvement in the air quality, according to city officials.
Yesterday the skies above Beijing were the same dirty grey shade as when the test started on Friday.
As of Sunday the air quality ranking had not budged from level two on China's five-tier scale, in which level one represents clear unpolluted skies.
Nonetheless, the city's Olympic organisers declared the test, which ends today, a success.
Because there was no wind, they argued, pollution would have grown thicker without the special restrictions.
"Level two is a good enough standard for athletic competition," said Yu Xianoxuan, environmental director of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee. "If we had not had the traffic controls we could not have maintained this level because the temperature and humidity were very high. So we can see the restrictions worked."
Whether this will reassure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is another matter. Earlier this month the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, warned that events might be postponed if pollution levels threatened the performance of athletes. To minimise that risk and the damage to the city's international reputation, Beijing plans to ban more than a third of the city's 3m cars for the two-week period of the games.
During the four-day trial cars with odd- and even-numbered plates were supposed to stay off the roads on alternate days. Violaters were liable to fines of 100 yuan (£6.60).
Although the measures did not make much of an impact on the environment, the traffic that usually jams the city was noticeably better in many areas.
More than a million cars were taken off the roads for the four-day test period, but there was no improvement in the air quality, according to city officials.
Yesterday the skies above Beijing were the same dirty grey shade as when the test started on Friday.
As of Sunday the air quality ranking had not budged from level two on China's five-tier scale, in which level one represents clear unpolluted skies.
Nonetheless, the city's Olympic organisers declared the test, which ends today, a success.
Because there was no wind, they argued, pollution would have grown thicker without the special restrictions.
"Level two is a good enough standard for athletic competition," said Yu Xianoxuan, environmental director of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee. "If we had not had the traffic controls we could not have maintained this level because the temperature and humidity were very high. So we can see the restrictions worked."
Whether this will reassure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is another matter. Earlier this month the IOC president, Jacques Rogge, warned that events might be postponed if pollution levels threatened the performance of athletes. To minimise that risk and the damage to the city's international reputation, Beijing plans to ban more than a third of the city's 3m cars for the two-week period of the games.
During the four-day trial cars with odd- and even-numbered plates were supposed to stay off the roads on alternate days. Violaters were liable to fines of 100 yuan (£6.60).
Although the measures did not make much of an impact on the environment, the traffic that usually jams the city was noticeably better in many areas.
