Many drivers in Beijing complain that they are having difficulty remembering the days on which they cannot legally drive on the roads in Beijing according to the city's driving restrictions.

During the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, Beijing banned vehicles whose license plates ended in odd or even numbers from roads on alternate days to keep the city's air clean and permit traffic to run smoothly. Local authorities decided to continue the policy after the Games, but modified it so that drivers with plates ending in certain numbers would have to stay off the roads only one day per week.

However, to further complicate the situation, the bannd day for each vehicle is changed every month.

An article in the Xinhua Daily Telegraph suggests that local authorities should make preferential and timely efforts to inform drivers about the days on which they cannot drive in the capital as well as policy changes to reduce the number of fines issued to those who are unaware of or unclear about the driving restrictions.

The article also suggests that local authorities use electric traffic boards on roads and posters in communities to inform drivers about policy changes.

In addition, the article notes that authorities could use the money they collect from fines to send text messages to drivers to prevent unnecessary penalties and further ease the city's traffic flow.