Transport chiefs claim the average congestion time in the capital has been slashed from 145 minutes to just 60 minutes compared to the same period last year, the Beijing News reported.

The average running speed has increased by 11.5 percent within the fifth ring road to 25.3 kilometers per hour, Wang Zhaorong, vice director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport told the paper.

The relief in traffic congestion, covering a period from January to October this year, is attributed to the odd-even license plate system and changing shift working patterns, Wang said.

Beijing introduced the odd-even license plate system during the 2008 Olympics, which allowed cars to drive on alternating days based on license plate numbers.

The move was believed to have taken 45 percent of the city's cars off the roads.