Download Beijing's traffic authorities will use motorbikes and helicopters as part of a series of measures to tackle heavy traffic in September. Helicopters will be used to gather detailed traffic information, which will be released to the public, according to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau. More traffic police will be dispatched to maintain traffic order, according to a statement on the bureau's website on Thursday. Based on previous years' traffic statistics, the Beijing Commission of Transport said that September will witness some of the heaviest traffic congestion due to the new school semester, as well as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Road congestion is expected reach serious levels on nine days this month, with the traffic congestion index expected to reach above 8.5. The index measures congestion on a scale of 0 (no congestion) to 10 (heavily congested). The days surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday, Sept 17, Sept 18, Sept 22 and Sept 29, are expected to hit above 9.0, the statement said. Mid-Autumn Day, which falls on Sept 19 this year, has become a popular holiday for people to send gifts, so many cars from outside Beijing are expected to come to the capital. Last year, on Sept 25, five days before the National Day holiday, the city witnessed a peak road congestion index of 9.8 during late afternoon. |