China Olympic Prep

Akki · Jul 20, 2008

Wow this beijing preparation is ridiculous.... so much stuff and by the post of joecool about the streets.... they better work fast..... the date is coming very close....

Beijing clearly isn't anywhere near ready...... it seems like they need another year to finish all these preparations... or they were slacking off....

ralphrepo · Jul 21, 2008

More Beijing prep, this time it's trafffic:

Beijing unveils new traffic curbs
Beijing authorities have ordered firms, shops and other organisations to stagger work times to cut traffic volumes during the Olympics.

City officials say state-run businesses should not start work until 0900 - up to an hour later than usual. They are also encouraging as many people as possible to work from home. These are just some of the measures being introduced during the Olympics to cut vehicle numbers on the capital's clogged roads. According to the new rules, government departments, organisations providing essential services and schools will operate as normal. But large shopping centres will have to open and close later between 20 July and 20 September, after the end of the Paralympics. Other institutions will also have to adjust clock-on and clock-off times. Workers are being encouraged to work online if possible and arrange flexible working hours, according to the city government notice.

Plant closures

More measures to reduce the number of vehicles on Beijing's roads come into effect on 20 July. From that date, individual cars will be allowed on the roads only on alternate days. This measure is also aimed at cutting the city's notoriously bad air pollution during the Olympics and Paralympics. There are other temporary restrictions to clean up the air. Beijing Shougang Group, one of the capital's top polluters, announced it will cut production, and so pollution, by 70% over the next few months. The company is in the process of moving its massive Beijing operation to neighbouring Hebei Province. Shougang has now extinguished three of its four remaining blast furnaces in Beijing, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. Other factories in nearby provinces have also cut production or closed temporarily to ensure clear skies above Beijing during the Olympics. Air pollution remains a pressing problem, just weeks before the start of the Games on 8 August. The International Olympic Committee says it could postpone endurance events of more than one hour on days when the pollution is too bad. The capital's air remained smoggy and grey on Monday, even though the Beijing government claimed it was a "blue sky" day.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7505507.stm
Published: 2008/07/14 13:49:06 GMT
Click to expand...

...and this:

Car restrictions begin in Beijing
Beijing's authorities have introduced drastic traffic rules in a bid to remove more than one million cars from the streets ahead of the Olympic Games.

The move, part of the fight against the Chinese capital's infamous pollution and congestion, restricts residents to using their cars on alternate days. Officials hope about half of the city's estimated 3,300,000 cars will be forced from the road over the next two months. A slew of measures to boost air quality has been implemented for the Games. Construction workers have been ordered to down tools and high-polluting industries are cutting production. The authorities have ordered firms, shops and other organisations to stagger work times to cut traffic volumes. They are also encouraging as many people as possible to work from home. The city's public transport system has been improved to cater for millions of Beijingers forced to ditch their cars.

Surveillance system

The new car restriction, brought in from Sunday, is enforced using the driver's registration number. Odd-numbered registrations are allowed to use their cars one day, even-numbered the next. More than 10,000 detection devices including cameras and "ultrasonic and microwave" scanners have been installed to catch anyone breaking the rules. Drivers caught by the surveillance network will be fined 100 yuan ($15; £7.50). The move reflects the importance officials are placing on combating air pollution - which remains a pressing problem just weeks before the start of the Games on 8 August. The International Olympic Committee has said it could postpone endurance events of more than one hour on days when the pollution is too bad.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7515907.stm
Published: 2008/07/20 05:22:53 GMT
Click to expand...

Personally, my feeling has always been, that if they had built an Olympic venue outside of Beijing (that is, far enough away from the city infrastructure itself), they wouldn't have needed to destroy people's homes or mess with the traffic; they probably wouldn't even have needed as strict security measures as they have now. But, it is what it is, let's hope everything works out in the end.

Ralph

BigM · Jul 21, 2008

I just heard on the news there was 2 bus bombs that went off somewhere in China

China Olympic Prep

Akki ...

ralphrepo Well-Known Member

BigM Well-Known Member