Beijing streets getting more crowded

The streets of Beijing are getting more crowed with 22,079 new vehicle registrations in the first 18 days of 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported. The city of 15 million people has 2.88 million registered vehicles, said the newspaper quoting numbers from the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau. The number is expected to hit 3.3 million by the Olympics in 2008. The city has 4.24 million people with driver's licenses according to state media. Organizers of the 2008 Games have been trying to find ways to deal with traffic congestion and the government has already spent US$40 billion to expand the subway system and build new roads. The Chinese love affair with the car has also worsened pollution.