Beijing Road Restrictions Announced for National Holiday

With the National Day Holiday only a week away, the city government has unveiled where traffic will be restricted around Tian’anmen and a few other areas throughout the capital.

First off, and simplest to understand, are those around Tian’anmen Square. Basically Guangchang Dongce Lu and Guangchang Xice Lu (see image above) are closed to all vehicles (except for those with special permit) from Oct 1 to Oct 8.

If vehicles need to get between Chang’an Jie and Qianmen Dongdajie, they’re advised to take either Zhengyi Lu or Rendahuitang Xilu, which lie east and west of Guangchang Dongce Lu and Xice Lu, respectively.

Another addition to the restrictions is the area around Zhongnanhai compound, namely the south side of Beihai Park and west of the Forbidden City, which has been restricted as a stopping point in Didi, although other ride share apps we tried didn’t show such restrictions.

Tian’anmen isn’t the only area that’ll be seeing road closures over the holiday. It’s also been announced that an area close to Xiangshan will see restrictions as well. From 8am to 7pm, Oct 1 to Oct 8, vehicles will be prohibited from driving east to west along Nanxincun Jie, which connects Xiangshan Nanlu to Hongfeng Lu.

There hasn’t been any announcement as of yet in regards to subway station closures over the holiday, but don’t be surprised if there are subway changes prior to or during the holiday.

Last year, Tian’anmen East, Tian’anmen West (both Line 1), and Qianmen (Line 2 and 8) subway stations were closed for one day on Sep 30. Tian’anmen East and West reopened over the holiday, but closed early at 7.30pm from Oct 1 to Oct 7. Qianmen, on the other hand, remained closed for the duration of 2021 for the completion of the Line 8 transfer.

We reached out to the Beijing Subway to confirm if any closures were taking place, but they informed us to either keep an eye on their official WeChat account (find it by searching 北京地铁 Běijīng dìtiě in WeChat) or Weibo (also Beijing ditie).

READ: Take a Look at Beijing's Newly Unveiled Traffic Signs

Images: Unsplash, jtgl.beijing.gov.cn, the Beijingers