Beijing to crack down on vehicles exceeding exhaust standards

Beijing started a triple-level inspection system recently in an attempt to keep vehicles that exceed exhaust standards off its roads and subsequently lower air pollution, especially its level of PM2.5.

The city initiated the system with the joint efforts of police, traffic management and environmental protection authorities, said Song Jianguo, director with the Beijing traffic management bureau.

Beijing has set up 24-hour mobile inspection stations that cover the municipal boundary and the Fifth and Fourth Ring roads, he said.

Heavy trucks are the primary violators and most that enter Beijing use diesel fuel. Heavy trucks contribute 33 percent of the city's nitric oxide and other pollutants, Song said.

PM2.5 refers to particle matter that exceeds 2.5 micrometers in diameter and are known as fine particles. Monitoring results show that PM2.5 in Beijing are mainly caused by coal burning, automobile exhaust and dust generated at construction sites.

The PM2.5 gauge is stricter than Beijing's previous standard of PM10.

To the slash PM2.5 pollution, police and the environmental protection authorities will increase vehicle-exhaust inspections and fine violators.

Earlier, Beijing has rolled out multiple measures to improve its air quality by completing a network of 35 PM2.5 monitoring stations, relocating factories, and planting new forests.