BEIJING - Athletes and high-ranking Olympic officials being whisked to venues this summer will get there with the help of satellite navigation devices and some aid from the military.
Yu Chunquan, director of transportation for the local organizing committee, said Tuesday that an "unprecedented 8,000 volunteers" would drive many of the vehicles that will speed through Beijing's usually clogged streets using specially designated "Olympic lanes."
He said 2,000 additional "professional drivers" would chauffeur buses and other vehicles under contract to local companies.
Yu said many of the 7,000 vehicles designated for official Olympic use would have satellite navigation systems, preventing drivers from getting lost.
Yu acknowledged some of the "volunteer drivers" would come from the military, a move aimed at covering any security risk for the highly publicized games.
"We know during the games that people in the Public Security Bureau will be very busy," Yu said. "So to my knowledge, no policemen have applied for this position. Yes, some soldiers applied to be drivers. They are volunteers. In the past Olympics, there have been some military men providing service."
Yu said the overall traffic plans for the Olympics would not be completed until the end of April. Officials are expected to ban half of Beijing's vehicles - that number will reach 3.3 million this summer - shutter factories and halt construction in the weeks leading up the August 8-24 games.
Last August, in a four-day test, officials removed 1.3 million private vehicles daily using a plan under which even- and odd-numbered license plates were ordered off the roads on alternate days. Officials said the plan was successful despite haze and gray skies during the four-day drill.
