ULAN BATOR, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia will impose restrictions on vehicle imports to reduce traffic congestion in its capital, local media reported on Monday, citing the mayor of Ulan Bator, Khishgee Nyambaatar.
"Traffic congestion is one of the most annoying problems for residents of Ulan Bator. Unfortunately, it was estimated that residents of the city spend an average of 717 hours or almost a month per year stuck in traffic," Nyambaatar said in a statement.
Traffic congestion cannot be solved without restricting imported cars, Nyambaatar said. "Therefore, we are planning to limit the import of cars and restrict the issuance of new license plates in the capital city."
For many years, traffic congestion has been one of the most pressing issues in Ulan Bator.
Ulan Bator was originally built to have 500,000 residents. However, the city is now the home to around half of the country's population of 3.4 million.
Currently, there are a total of 720,000 vehicles registered in Ulan Bator, the mayor said, adding that the number of vehicles in the capital city increases by an average of 50,000 per year. ■
