New vehicle restrictions are likely to be announced Friday in the capital, given that a post-Olympics system has "significantly improved" traffic conditions and air quality, Beijing officials said Thursday.

"New car restrictions will probably be unveiled Friday to replace the current ones," said Wang Zhaorong, spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications.

Figures released by the Beijing Transportation Research Center (BTRC) Thursday showed that traffic jams were reduced by five hours and 15 minutes a day during the six months since the post-Olympics restrictions have been in effect. Vehicular emissions were reduced by 375 tonnes, or 10 percent, every day.

BTRC statistics showed about 90 percent of city residents said they supported the restrictions and 89 percent said they were willing to see the rules extended.

Beijing's trial post-Olympics vehicle restrictions began on Oct. 11 and are set to expire on April 10. The rules, based on license plate numbers, take 20 percent of the city's 3 million vehicles off the road on weekdays.

The current restrictions apply within and including the Fifth Ring Road from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for private cars and around the clock for government and corporate vehicles. The ban does not apply to emergency vehicles, mass transit vehicles or other public service vehicles.

The Olympics restrictions, based on an odd-even license plate system, took 45 percent of the cars off the roads and helped clear the skies, but as soon as the ban was lifted in September, traffic jams resumed.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2009)