Half of Cars Banned From City’s Streets

About half of the cars in Mexico City were banned from the streets in one of the capital’s more severe efforts to control smog. City officials said the move was part of Mexico City’s longest period of emergency smog controls since 1993, local media reported. Aside from the driving ban, the measures restricted 240 of the city’s factories from working full time and shut 15% of gasoline stations. Cars with license plates ending in an odd number were prohibited from driving, and drivers who broke the rules were fined about $100. Some cars deemed cleaner were exempt.