Vehicle Travel and Number Plate Restrictions

1. Definition and Institutional Background

Traffic and number plate restrictions refer to traffic management measures implemented by traffic enforcement authorities to regulate the operating zones, travel hours, or number plate ending digits of motor vehicles based on prevailing road and traffic conditions. In essence, they represent temporary administrative curbs on vehicle road access within designated areas and timeframes, primarily aimed at easing traffic congestion and improving urban air quality. Nearly all megacities and major metropolises across China enforce travel restriction policies, whilst several smaller cities have also begun testing them during severe air pollution alerts.

2. Key Restriction Models

Travel restriction guidelines vary across regions in terms of restricted hours, targeted vehicles, and operational mechanisms, resulting in a multi-model traffic management framework.

Model Type	Key Cities	Core Rules	Implementation Features
Daily Ending Digit Restriction	Beijing, Xi'an, etc.	Weekdays 07:00-20:00, two ending digits are restricted daily (e.g. 1 and 6 on Mondays); registration plates ending in letters are treated as digit 0	Each plate ending digit is barred one day per week, curbing roughly 20% of daily traffic volume
Peak-Hour Restriction (Outstation Vehicles)	Beijing	Weekdays 07:00-09:00 and 17:00-20:00, outstation-registered passenger vehicles are prohibited from entering roads within (and inclusive of) the 5th Ring Road	Restricts movement strictly during peak hours; driving is permitted as usual during off-peak periods
"Drive 4 Days, Rest 4 Days"	Guangzhou	Outstation vehicles may only operate within restricted zones for up to 4 consecutive days, requiring a mandatory gap of at least 4 days before re-entry	Regulated by consecutive driving days rather than fixed daily schedules
24-Hour Total Vehicle Ban (Specific Zones)	Beijing (within 2nd Ring Road), Shantou (Small Park Historical Quarter), etc.	Motor vehicles are prohibited 24 hours daily on designated road stretches or sectors	Tailored for heritage enclaves, pedestrianised streets, and other sensitive zones

Beijing enforces a plate digit rotation system, reshuffling the restricted ending digit pairings every 13 weeks (e.g. from 29 June to 27 September 2026, digits 1 and 6 are banned on Mondays, 2 and 7 on Tuesdays, and so forth). In contrast, cities such as Xi'an and Chengdu adopt a fixed digit schedule, assigning set ending digits from Monday to Friday on a permanent basis—making it easier for motorists to plan trips, albeit prompting discussions over long-term fairness. Cities including Taiyuan and Chengdu have also rolled out "travel pre-booking" services, allowing vehicle owners to reschedule their travel on restriction days according to actual commuting needs.

3. Legal Framework and Implementation Process

The legal basis for travel restriction measures is grounded in Article 39 of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China: Traffic enforcement authorities may implement measures such as traffic diversion, access restrictions, or total road closures depending on specific road and traffic conditions. Major restriction policies must undergo a rigorous governance workflow comprising public consultation, expert appraisal, risk assessment, legal compliance review, and collective deliberation, followed by advance public gazetting.

4. Impact Assessment and Controversies

Policy effectiveness: In Xi'an, where the vehicle population reached 5.7352 million units by end-2025, average peak-hour travel speeds remained stable following the rollout of plate ending digit restrictions, playing a tangible role in relieving road network congestion. In Beijing, motorists breaching plate restrictions face a 100-yuan fine without demerit points, enforced simultaneously via automated traffic camera networks and on-ground enforcement.

Alternative solutions: Shijiazhuang has maintained a strict "no travel or plate restriction" policy since October 2023. By leveraging an AI-powered smart traffic brain, dynamic green wave signal coordination, and bespoke intersection-level traffic plans, the city has kept its traffic health index among the highest in its category despite having over 4 million registered vehicles. With average peak-hour travel speeds reaching 32.54 km/h, it serves as a practical operational benchmark demonstrating that easing gridlock does not always require blanket vehicle bans.

5. Policy Outlook

Institutionalisation of routine restrictions: Cities like Beijing and Xi'an have integrated weekday plate restrictions into their permanent traffic management playbook, renewing operational timeframes via annual official announcements.
Targeted and tiered regulations: Implementing differentiated enforcement tailored to registration categories (local vs outstation plates) and vehicle types; Hangzhou, for instance, introduced regional number plate policies to enforce tiered access across distinct zones and hours.
Tech-driven alternatives: Optimising road throughput via adaptive signal timing, coordinated green wave corridors, and rapid clearance of minor road collisions, progressively reducing reliance on blunt, one-size-fits-all restriction policies.