China stresses support for urban public transport development

 BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has vowed¹ to introduce more measures to prioritize the development of public transport systems in the country's increasingly congested urban areas.

In downtown areas, there should be a bus stop every 500 meters. The use of public transport should account for about 60 percent of motor vehicle use, according to a statement by the State Council, China's cabinet, released Saturday on the official website of the Chinese government, www.gov.cn.

Airport shuttle buses, school buses and shuttle buses for specific institutions can use public transport lanes, and more efforts will be made to improve the taxi booking system, according to the statement.

Authorities will expand the public transport vehicle fleet and ask bus operators to increase driving speeds.

According to the statement, between 2011 and 2015, public transport vehicles will be exempt² from the consumption tax and they will enjoy favorable rates in vehicle and vessel³ tax and electricity charges. They will also receive subsidies⁴ for fuel and diesel⁵ use.

Roads have become overcrowded in many Chinese cities, especially in mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai, due to the explosion in private car consumption and poor driving habits.

According to a survey on daily commutes⁶ conducted by IBM in 2011, Beijing has the second worst traffic jams in the world, after Mexico City. Shenzhen, a booming economic hub in southern China, ranked third on the list.

Local governments have taken measures to cope with traffic congestion⁷ in major cities, including instituting a license⁸ plate lottery⁹ to curb¹⁰ the number of new vehicles allowed on the roads each year and a scheme that keeps private cars off roads on certain days based on license plate numbers.

A set of tougher traffic rules took effect Jan. 1, but residents remain stuck in traffic.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

3 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

4 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

6 commutes   

上下班路程( commute的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She commutes from Oxford to London every day. 她每天上下班往返于牛津与伦敦之间。
• Barbara lives in Oxford and commutes. 芭芭拉住在牛津，通勤往来。

7 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。

8 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

9 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

10 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。