Beijing car plates oversubscribed by 10 times

Over 215,000 people applied for car licences in Beijing this month, but only 20,000 will be issued as the capital seeks to curb its massive traffic jams, state press said Sunday. Under a new system aimed at controlling the number of cars on Beijing streets that began this year, applicants must apply in the first eight days of the month for the 20,000 available plates issued monthly.
According to Xinhua news agency, 215,425 people applied for the January allotment. A lottery on January 26 will decide who gets the licences and the right to buy a new car.
Under the new rules, only 240,000 new cars will be registered in Beijing this year, compared to the record 800,000 automobiles that took to the streets of the capital last year, the report said.