Monday was International Car Free Day. Many cities in China called residents to choose public transportation means instead of driving their own cars. Beijing was no exemption. It just stopped banning vehicles with odd and even-numbered license plates on alternate days from Sunday, but discussion aroused by the ban is not over. Was it the only way to ease Beijing's traffic jam or only a makeshift solution which will make things worse?

Here is our reporter Li Dong:

Reporter: People in Beijing have been enjoying fresh air and smooth traffic for almost two months as a result of the even and odd-numbered license plates ban.

However experts do not think the ban is an ultimate solution for Beijing's traffic problem. Shi Qixin is a professor in the Institute of Transportation Engineering at Tsinghua University.

"The unreasonable city layout and low public transit capacity are major reasons that cause Beijing's traffic problems. Currently Beijing government has taken public transit as a working priority, because it is easier to execute and more effective."

But Beijing's public transportation still has many problems. Liang Ying is a 26-year-old white collar worker who recently bought a car.

"I just bought a car for work, because I have to change three times if I take buses and subways. Private cars are more convenient, cleaner and safer. The buses and subways are crowded and theft is rife. "

To solve Liang Ying's problems, Beijing has created a metro net to enlarge the public transit capacity.

"The government is building more metro lines to form a net which allows passengers to reach their destinations with only one change. And the distance between interchange stations is within 3 minutes walk. More metro lines will reduce the current number of passengers per carriage. "

Though the improved public transport system offers a more comfortable environment, it still can't satisfy everyone. Xiao Xiao is a mother of a one-year old boy.

"I bought the car when I was pregnant, because it is not easy for a big-bellied woman to take the bus. You never know how long you'll wait at the bus stop and what time you can meet the doctor if the road is jammed. "

Professor Shi Qixin says the government is working on Xiao Xiao's problems with more services such as opening special lanes for public vehicles and intelligent traffic light systems.

"When a public vehicle meets a red light, the intelligent traffic lights turn green. People in private cars watch the buses passing by and have to wait for the lights to change. The intervals between buses are going to be shortened and monitored by computers to ensure passengers don't wait very long."

Professor Shi Qixin says Beijing has a lot of things to do to improve its traffic over the next few years, and no single regulation like the odd and even-numbered license plates ban can accomplish it alone. But he is happy to see that people in Beijing are starting to get concerned about the problem and hope they can drive less in the future.

Li Dong, CRI news.