At rush hour, Beijing’s roads become clogged. The city has 4 million cars, and 2,000 more are added every day.
World Bank transportation analyst Shomik Mendhiratta said a good economy spurs car sales. "You are seeing an absolute boom in motorization."
In big cities like Beijing, Mendhiratta said he sees real economic damage as long as private cars win out against mass transport.
"For a single person, the inconvenience of being stuck in a traffic jam is at least for the moment balanced out by being able to switch on the air conditioner and listen to their own version of Lady Gaga," Mendhiratta said.
Voice of America reports that cars add to Beijing’s air pollution; world environmental experts say the city has some of the world’s air pollution. The 1974 movie The Cars That Ate Paris has some relevance.
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