BEIJING -- Beijing is gearing up preparations for the Summer Olympics in appointing a state-level agency to ensure security and roping off more than 280 km of roads exclusively for the Games.
The security agency groups the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Public Security and the armed forces, Beijing Vice Mayor Liu Jingmin said here on Wednesday, 149 days before the start of the August Games.
China has also drafted plans for emergencies during the event, enhanced exchanges and coordination with foreign security organizations, and stepped up training for security staff as well other people involved in the Games, said Liu, also executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).
He said security is a major consideration in the capital's construction of Olympic venues and the new terminal at Beijing airport.
"We believe security will be ensured during the Beijing Olympic Games," he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the First Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
To ease traffic woes in a city with 17 million people and more than 3 million registered motor vehicles, Beijing will copy Sydney and Athens' practice to separate Olympic traffic from others, said Liu.
In addition to the 280-km special lanes, Beijing will also follow other successful international experiences to impose traffic bans during the Olympiad.
Beijing tested a traffic ban from August 17 to 20 last year, removing 1.3 million or one-third of the city's automobiles every day from its gridlocked streets in accordance with the even and odd numbers on license plates. The test reduced traffic on main roads and exhaust emissions by 30 and 40 percent respectively.
During the Games, some vehicles from other provinces may have to bypass Beijing to ease the capital's traffic burden. "This, however, will not apply to trucks bringing food supplies to Beijing," Liu said.
The host city has completed construction of 37 of the 38 Olympic venues and 44 of the 45 Beijing-based Olympic drill facilities, he said.
The Olympic Village will open on July 27 and close on September 20 after the Paralympics.
Besides accommodation for athletes, the Olympic Village will have recreational facilities, shopping centers and a square where national flags of all participating nations will be raised, said Olympic champion paddler Deng Yaping, now a BOCOG official, at the same press conference.
Preparations are now in full swing for the opening and closing ceremonies. The first group of participants started rehearsals in August, said Liu.
He said China's meteorological departments will provide weather forecasts on an hourly basis to prevent bad weather conditions from affecting the opening and closing ceremonies, and to ensure a successful torch relay to Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest), the world's highest peak.
The Olympic Flame will be relayed to 19 cities on five continents before coming to China. It arrives in Beijing on August 8.
