Heavy vehicles forbidden in city limits

The traffic authority will extend a ban on heavy trucks from entering the Fifth Ring Road to 24 hours a day starting this Sunday to ease traffic congestion and reduce accidents.

The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau (BTMB) announced the rule on Tuesday, affecting vehicles with total weights over eight tons.

Heavy vehicles forbidden in city limits

But truck drivers yesterday said they prefer getting fined than obeying the new rules.

"Obeying the rules means we will be hit with more road tolls and larger fuel fees," said Chen, a veteran driver who has driven a 20-ton truck between Beijing and Hubei province for five years.

Beijing already bans heavy logistics vehicles from entering the Fifth Ring Road during the daytime.

The new rule extends the ban to also cover the nighttime. Only trucks carrying groceries for the city and which hold special transit permits will be allowed within the perimeter.

The bureau said removing heavy trucks from the Fifth Ring Road should also lower emission rates.

The BTMB released the updated rule on Tuesday following the completion of a Beijing-Inner Mongolia expressway, which links the outskirts of the city with the Sixth Ring Road.

The Sixth Ring Road is being urged by the BTMB as an alternative solution, but they noted there would be an additional toll.

Chen said despite the 200 yuan fine imposed at the Fifth Ring Road, he still considers it less expensive than the time and fuel wasted to take the alternative journey.

"Every cent we save is crucial," said the 40-year-old Hebei native who left Beijing for Hebei last night driving a truck loaded with furniture.

Retail gasoline and diesel prices soared by 6 percent on Tuesday, bringing the price for 0# diesel, used by most heavy trucks, to a Chinese record high of 6.6 yuan per liter.

Truck drivers said the price hike has increased their costs each month by up to 1,000 yuan, or one fifth of their monthly income.

"The economic slowdown has already affected me greatly. I don't want any new rules that make my life even harder," said Chen.

The Fifth Ring Road is notorious for accidents caused by unauthorized heavy vehicle drivers.

A truck entering the city from Shandong province crashed into one van and two sedans on the East Fifth Ring Road on July 28 this year, killing seven people. The truck driver was arrested in September and, along with the truck's owner, is being sued for 4.4 million yuan in compensation from the families of the victims.

The last major accident on the East Fifth Ring Road occurred on Oct 20. Three heavy trucks and two buses collided, seriously injuring two people.

A tougher campaign will also kick off on Sunday to "strike and awe" illegal truck driving, a spokesperson from the BTMB said yesterday.