Beijing Imposes Traffic Restrictions for Second Belt and Road Forum; Airport Also Affected

The second Belt and Road Forum – also known as BARF – swoops down on Beijing this Thursday through Saturday, Apr 25-27. In order to ensure that the landmark event runs smoothly, which includes the shuttling around important people we'll never see, various roads around the city will have restricted access during the summit.

Initially launched in 2013, the Belt and Road Forum is China’s government-orchestrated platform for international cooperation under the framework of the country's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The second of its kind, the conference this year will host some 5,000 participants from over 150 countries and 90 international organizations, including heads of state and diplomats from 37 countries, as well as the secretary-general of the United Nations and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund.

Given the amount of top brass in the city, expect congestion and on-and-off access in the affected areas and means of transport mentioned below.

Restricted/affected Beijing traffic areas during Belt and Road Forum 2019

China National Convention Center
Apr 23-26: Between Beichen West Road and Datun Road, Tianchen West Road, Datun North Road, Hujing East Road, National Stadium North Road, Jingguan Avenue, and Huizhong Road.

The Great Hall of the People
Apr 26, 4pm onwards: The west side of Tiananmen Square, and the south and west side of the Great Hall.
Apr 23-29, on and off: Chang’an Street and its affiliated roads.

Airport Expressway
Apr 23-25, on and off: The city-bound portion of the Airport Expressway and East Second Ring Road.
Apr 27-29, on and off: The Beijing Capital International Airport-bound portion of the Airport Expressway and East Second Ring Road.

Yanqi Lake
Apr 22-27, on and off: From the western entrance of Yanqi Lake Road to the western entrance of Yanqi Lake North Road.

Public transport
Besides the traffic restrictions, 15 subway lines will also adjust their timetable, adding a total of 356 rides per day on Apr 25 and 26, as well as a total of 156 additional trains across seven lines, including Line 1, on Apr 27. Additionally, four additional late trains will be added to Line 4 bound for Beijing South Station on April 26 and 30.

The Airport Express will up its total rides to 32 per day (decreasing the wait between trains to eight minutes). There also will be extra 2,600 bus rides per day during the three-day conference.

Beijing Capital International Airport
Though it's unclear as to whether or not it is directly related to the Belt and Road Forum, Beijing Capital International Airport has released a notice via its official Weibo account suggesting that passengers arrive at the airport at least two to three hours before take off in order to factor in time for the increased security measures.

For a list of the affected areas in Chinese, click here.

Does all this make you want to escape immediately? Escape to These Hotels on Beijing’s Perimeter

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Photos: Reuters, China Plus