I was reading this article in the LA Times where they were talking about the efforts that the Chinese are making to temporarily reduce pollution for the Olympics. One of the most interesting facts of the article is that 16 of the 20 most polluted cities are in China. Not that this is a major surprise, but interesting nonetheless.
Back to the Olympics, the steps that they are taking are draconian. They have already indicated that certain trucks that polluter are banned and cannot drive before or during the Olympics. Additionally, owners of private automobiles can only drive their cars on alternate days! The fines are stiff and so there is a serious penalty for disobeying the rules.
This brings an interesting point. Where else in the world would the government just make the onerous mandates without any repercussions. Personally, I think that it is crazy. Clearly China is desperately concerned about the pollution situation and is willing to do anything to try to reduce it even if it means reeking havoc with their own transportation system. You can now easily imagine why some people in China are less than thrilled with the games and why there were numerous protests when the Olympic flames were paraded around the globe.