Beijing to close 111 roads for firecrackers on eve of Spring Festival

Beijing citizens in the 122 residential quarters will have half an hour to set off firecrackers on the roads and squares outside their quarters on the eve of this year's Spring Festival which falls on February 18, said an official with the Beijing municipal government today.
Beijing vice mayor Lu Hao, made the above remarks at a meeting on firecrackers management, adding that the 111 roads and five squares around the residential quarters will be closed for 30 minutes at midnight.
More than 200,000 police and security workers will be mobilized to patrol the streets of the capital around-the-clock during the Spring Festival period to watch out for firecracker accidents.
Beijing lifted a 12-year ban on firecrackers in 2005. With the fifth ring road as the dividing line, the whole city is divided into firecracker areas and forbidden areas.
However, the ban remains strict in areas around culture heritages, stations, airports and hospitals. There are about 30,000 firecracker forbidden areas and spots during the Spring Festival
Chinese usually ignite firecrackers and burn incense during
traditional Chinese festivals, especially the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, to expect good luck for the coming year.
Firecrackers were banned in 1993 in Beijing because they were believed to cause environmental and safety problems.