Another issue raised by the public was the effect on those who made their living on motorbikes.
In Guangzhou, many of the unemployed choose to be motorbike cab drivers. The ban may leave them without jobs again.
The prohibition will also hurt motorbike sales and maintenance staff.
Cui said the government is discussing measures to solve these problems. He believes these workers must be adequately compensated.
Some people in Guangzhou have taken to motorbikes to circumvent rush-hour traffic congestion.
They worry about whether public transportation will be able to cope with the sharp increase in passengers.
Cui said the three-step policy would give departments enough time to improve and enlarge bus lanes and subway routes. "The buses will operate till midnight," he said.
But others argue the supposedly harmful effects of motorbikes used to justify the ban are not convincing, Cui said. They said cars also cause pollution and traffic accidents.
However, the deputy director-general of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, Liang Xingxia, said nearly half of traffic accidents in Guangzhou are caused by motorbikes. The vehicles are also used in half the robberies in the city.
"The ban must be enforced" to reduce traffic accidents and street robberies, Liang said.
(China Daily February 12, 2004