Beijing Rush Hour
As one of the world’s emerging economic powers, over the last three decades China drastically reduced its per capita poverty. But with growth come the downsides of prosperity. Just a few years ago, cars were symbols of social status and were used almost exclusively by high officials. Since 1995, the number of private cars in Beijing has increased at an average annual rate of over 30 per cent, exceeding 1.9 million in May 2007. Increasing from two million to three million cars on the road took Beijing less than four years. Traffic congestion is causing Beijing's residents a big headache.