Last year, Chinese drivers celebrated World Car Free Day with traffic jams around the country. For this year, authorities decided to do things a little differently: if you can’t persuade a large number of drivers to go car-free, then at least you can isolate certain city street to be free of cars. It’s a more humble goal, but still in keeping with the spirit of World Car Free Day.

CCTV America reports that 170 Chinese cities got involved on World Car Free Day this year with campaigns to promote environmental protection while certain cities like Chongqing imposed traffic controls. Specifically in Beijing, three areas were designated as car-free zones on Tuesday from 9am to 4pm: Wangfujing Boulevard, Nanluoguxiang, and Olympic Center Road.

Beijing drivers were advocated to make detours from these three car-free zones with signs saying “Traffic control, vehicle detour”. However, unlike preparations for the September 3 military parade in which martial law was imposed on the city’s popular Sanlitun area, these car-free zones were only a suggestion made to Beijing drivers and not enforced.

The result was that this year’s World Car Free Day turned out much like last year’s in China. As noted by a reporter for People’s Daily Online, there was no reduction in cars in Beijing’s three designated car-free zones with traffic said to be the same as normal (seen in the gallery above). Meanwhile, the Beijing Transportation Committee said the city’s traffic index during morning rush hour at 8:10am was 8, signifying heavy traffic.

And while much of the focus of World Car Free Day is help advocate drivers to lessen the impact that cars have on the environment, Beijing’s air quality was quite poor, averaging an AQI level over 150, much like conditions during Sunday’s marathon at which a number of heart attacks were reported.

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Drivers unable to hit the road were instead forced to take the city’s subway, leading to massive crowds:

But what was uncomfortable for subway passengers was excellent for Beijing drivers lucky enough to have the right license plate. No traffic jams were reported yesterday as drivers experienced clear roads while driving during rush hour:

Ordinarily one of China’s busiest and slowest commutes for cars, a traffic map shows non-congested roads during Beijing’s peak travel times:

One Weibo user went so far as to say, “I strongly propose that Beijing retain the driving restrictions even after September 3.”

Despite some grumbling from those who had to take the subway, it’s clear the restrictions are getting results. Weibo users posted pictures of blue skies around Beijing, noticing how much better the air quality is without so many cars:

Besides the car restrictions, authorities have shut down tens of thousands of factories and power plants in an effort to reduce pollution in time for the September 3 military parade.

At the present time, Beijing has an AQI of 63.

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