Alleviating chronic road congestion and the associated air pollution in China's cities appears to be rising up the governmental agenda after the announcement of a "no-car day" on 22 September. 106 cities were told by the Ministry of Construction to encourage commuters to take public transport or ride bicycles on that date.
Shanghai, which is second only to Beijing in terms of worsening road
congestion, has followed the capital's recent lead and announced
compliance with the one-day ban on driving private cars in the city
centre.
Under a headline few western newspaper sub-editors would ever attempt
- "No-car day celebrates joys of mass transit" - Shanghai Daily
reports that residents will be "encouraged to take public transport or
walk to their destinations on September 22, as part of a campaign
designed to raise awareness about the environmental benefits of mass
transit."
The ban is timed to coincide with World Car-free Day, and, says
Shanghai Daily, "is part of a week-long nationwide effort that begins
on September 16 to boost public transport's role in saving energy and
protecting the environment."
However, implementation of the ban, which primarily focuses on
Shanghai's inner ring road, is slightly sketchy. "Compliance is not
mandatory," reports Shanghai Daily, "but in some areas, driving will
be banned outright. Cars will be prohibited from the central parts of
Pudong's Lujiazui from 7am to 7pm." A 3.3km section of Nanjing Road
and a 3.27-km stretch of Huaihai Road, Shanghai's main downtown
thoroughfares, will also be blocked from use by private cars.
By: David Sun (Guest IP 218.242.39.96) on 30-08-2007 16:16
I think this is a good move by the government, to have a day free from congestion and pollution even just in the inner ring roads. The traffic in Chinas major cities and pollution levels are of constant concern to us who live and work here, I think having a day to get the vehicles off the road is good for society, and gives us a chance to reflect on the damage we are causing every time we take a taxi or jump into our car to get to the office. So here is to no car day!
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By: David Sun (Guest) on 30-08-2007 16:16