BEIJING (AP) -- The roads around Beijing are going to seem empty in a few days.

Under pressure to clean up the capital's air, Olympic officials on Thursday were fine tuning a plan to remove 1.3 million cars starting next week.

The four-day period -- Aug. 17-20 -- coincides with several Olympic test events being held in Beijing and could be a model for next year's 17-day Olympics.

Under the plan, cars with even- and odd-numbered plates will be allowed on the roads on alternate days.

"And at the same time, we will strengthen our public transportation facilities," Liu Qi, president of the Beijing organizing committee, said in a statement.

"By doing so, we can test the actual change of our air quality and the actual air situation, and we can evaluate the possible result of our contingency plan."

Beijing has about 3 million vehicles, and will have 3.3 million when the Olympics arrive in a year.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge cautioned on Wednesday -- the day the Olympic countdown clocks reached the 1-year mark -- that some events would have to be postponed next year is the city's filthy air continues to threaten the performance of elite athletes.

Another traffic plan nine months ago met with success during a six-day meeting between Chinese and African leaders. Under that plan, about 800,000 vehicles were taken off the streets as bureaucrats and ordinary citizens were asked not to drive.

To help clear the smog, Beijing officials will close some factories next summer and halt hundreds of building projects.

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