According to the Guangzhou-based newspaper Southern Weekly, the Beijing government will call on citizens to participate in its odd-even system starting in March as a preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games. Under the compulsory system, vehicles whose license plates ended with odd or even numbers can only drive on the roads every other day, so theoretically the number of vehicles on the roads in the city can be reduced by half. Anyone who doesn’t obey it would face a fine up to RMB 200 (~$28). Beijing tested the system for four days last August, which was well received by the media. This time, the system is said to last for six months until the end of the Games with no road toll reduction for car drivers.

The Beijing government does have the authority to ban half of the citizens’ cars and shut down its factories for the Olympics. But what is Beijing going to be like after August? At least its citizens will not have those specially designed masks to protect themselves from the air pollution then.