In addition, according to an online survey with 10,000 respondents conducted by major Chinese Internet portal qq.com, only 6.4 percent of those surveyed thought the plan would be highly effective. More than one third thought the plan would have no effect.

"Using economic measures to cool the auto boom and its attendant traffic congestion problem seems to be a method learned from foreign countries. But the assumption is we have the same mature public transport systems that those other countries have," one respondent pointed out.

People also expressed concern about the implementation of the ambitious plan.

"If license plates are limited to a certain number and buyers must have a parking place first, the restrictions may encourage corruption," said one netizen's posting.

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Beijing's Yayuncun automobile exchange market, the largest in Beijing, is regarded as a barometer of the Chinese car market.

Its vice president, Yan Jinghui, said people rushed to buy new cars because they fear the restrictive policies that may be implemented and tend to believe the unconfirmed details that were reported.

"Car sales in November were 25 percent more than in October," Yan said.

But despite all the concern, some citizens are looking at the positive sides. They point out that some of the unconfirmed report indicated that the government will enlarge bikes lanes and build other facilities to encourage bicycling.

"I don't have a car and my work place is two bus stops from the nearest subway station. So if I can rent a bike from the subway station, it would be a convenient way to avoid the gridlock," Zhao Fengxia, a Beijing citizen said.

"I look forward to the new plan," Zhao added.