Anyone planning to drive a car bigger than a sedan to Suzhou during the last two weekends of this month, or the first week of April, will need a permit to travel on the highway, as traffic authorities try to prevent gridlock around the Qingming Festival.

Millions of local residents are expected to visit nearby cities over the next two months to sweep the tombs of their ancestors.

Authorities haven't said yet if they will set a quota on the number of large cars, vans and trucks allowed to travel by highway from Shanghai to Suzhou, but they say they will announce this year's regulations in the near future.

Officials at the Shanghai Railway Administration are also taking steps to prepare for the massive flow of people leaving the city over the next two months.

Administration officials say they expect more than 7.65 million travelers will pass through local railway stations during the 40-day travel period, which runs from March 11 to April 19.

The number of people leaving the city for spring outings was already on the increase last weekend, said Tao Liping, an official with the administration.

He noted that up to 227,000 people took trains out of the city on Saturday and Sunday, a significant increase over normal weekends.

Near 40 percent of the travelers were headed to neighboring cities such as Hangzhou, Nanjing, and the two most popular destinations, Suzhou and Wuxi.

Tao said extra trains will be added during the busy season.

"On the Saturdays and Sundays close to the Qingming Festival, we are going to increase our transport capacity by adding more trains to meet the high demand," Tao added.

An additional 13 passenger trains will run from the city to Suzhou and Wuxi between 6am and 8:30am during the next several weekends, Tao said.

(Shanghai Daily March 9, 2005)