Status and Challenges. Beijing has undergone a rapid economic
growth and motorization in the last several decades.
As shown in Figure 13,15,16 the rising gross domestic
product kept the vehicle growth rate above 10% for
most years since 1978, and the average rate of increase of
the motor vehicle population was 15% since 1997. In
August 2003, the motor vehicle population in Beijing
exceeded 2 million, and it is estimated that this number
will rise to 3.5 million in 2008 when the 24th Olympic
Games will be held (Figure 13).