Guangzhou Imposes Lottery to Limit New Car Ownership

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In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, the Chinese city of Guangzhou is imposing a lottery for new car license plates. City officials said 120,000 license plates will be issued yearly; the lottery began last month.

“The average bid for a license plate for a private car stood at approximately $3,622.54,” Inhabitat reports.

Critics of the plate lottery say the restriction limits personal freedoms to own cars privately, and that more effective reforms include improving road planning, mass transit, and the use of low-emission cars.