Before we fully implement the odd/evens car restrictions, maybe it's good to first raise parking prices and tackle on illegal parking. If you compare Beijing with other metropolises, nyc, d.c. or even shanghai, you'll see how cheap parking is in Beijing. It's still 6-8 rmb/hour in underground parking lots, comparing with shanghai at at least 10-12 rmb/hour and nyc at at least 20 dollars/hour.
Sometimes to me it's like we are easily oblivious to the fact that beijing is a world metropolis. People take it for granted: we pay 6 kuai for parking and we enjoy some of the best shows in the world.
The other thing is, in some other cities, you just don't drive to downtown areas because there's no parking whatsoever (maybe you got one after waiting for half hour, try your luck)---unless you pay the sky high valet parking, boston and nyc for example, but in beijing you can always find a hidden place to park and there's a huge chance that you won't be caught by parking illegally.
And many people don't drive and don't buy cars for exmaple in hong kong, where a permanent parking space can cost way more than a car. Beijing? just park by the street at night.
Well many people who drive in beijing are super rich and they may not give a fxck even after the you raise the parking price to like 20 kuai/hour, but that's another story.