Beijing Implements Retire Your Ride Program
Beijing's program similar to Ontario's Retire Your Ride
It is a well-known fact that old vehicles pollute the air far more than newer generation cars. Advances in the engineering, design process and testing regulations in car manufacturing have steadily decreased the amount of pollutants per vehicle. Of course, we have far more cars on the road than before, therefore strict government regulations are needed (and adhered to by manufacturers) so that we all have clean air to breathe for us and for future generations.
Over on the other side of the world the Chinese government has implemented a new campaign to improve air quality by offering incentives to drivers scrapping their cars. Running August to December 2011, it will also help bolster Beijing’s local car market and help subsidize new car sales.
The requirements are strikingly similar to Ontario’s Retire Your Ride program that ended in March this year. Owners that have cars that do not meet emission standards are given the opportunity to have their junk car sold or recycled outside of Beijing. While that concept may not be the best approach, Beijing does need to be commended for a plan of action that affects roughly 40% of cars on Beijing roads. Their stated goals are to eliminate 400,000 scrap cars and cut nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 12,000 tons in four years.
While over 20,000 people support the policy, some say it is only good if you are already considering a new car, or are sitting on the fence because they own vehicles that are still running well. Since it is a voluntary program, some wonder how many people will take advantage of the program.
What do you think? What other countries have similar programs and which one has been the most effective at removing old clunkers off the road? Should Ontario bring back Retire Your Ride?