Starting from Monday, Beijing is extending its post-Olympic vehicle restrictions for another year. That's in an effort to ease traffic congestion and reduce air pollution.

The restrictions, based on license plate numbers, take 20% of the city's 3.6 million vehicles off the roads each weekday. For private cars, the new ban is only effective from 7 am to 8 pm. That's two hours shorter than the previous restrictions.

Residents are allowed to drive on the Fifth Ring Road throughout the week, and they now have the same "off-day" for 13 weeks in a row. That's two months longer than previous traffic restriction guidelines. The restrictions remain in effect round the clock for government and corporate vehicles.

The Beijing Transportation Research Center says that due to the restrictions, vehicular emissions have been reduced 10 percent each day during the six month post-Olympics period.

(CCTV April 14, 2009)