No Car Day in Beijing.

[2strokebloke]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060516...nvironmentauto

Join Date: May 2005

Beijing institutes "no car day" to clean up air pollution

Environmental officials in Beijing have asked residents to stop driving their cars to work one day a month in an effort to clean up the capital's stifling air pollution and ease traffic jams.

More than 200,000 drivers in up to 100 Beijing auto clubs have agreed to comply with the voluntary request, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said in a report posted on its website.

"As soon as people leave their homes they are faced with the depressing sights and sounds of noisy, congested roads, while the black exhaust leaves their minds muddled," the report said.

Beijing has more than 2.6 million motor vehicles on its roads with the number of new vehicles increasing by more than 1,000 a day, the bureau said.

Motor vehicle emissions are the leading cause of air pollution in the city, with 3,600 tonnes of pollutants spewed out of cars every day, deputy bureau head Du Shaozhong said.

China's cities have long been rated as having some of the world's most polluted air, with Beijing's air quality consistently ranking among the worst in the country.

The campaign to restrict car driving is modeled on a similar program initiated by 34 cities in France, the report said.

The effort in Beijing is being made in coordination with a "blue sky day" campaign launched in 1998 in an effort to increase the number of days with good or fair air quality in the years running up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Between the beginning of the year and mid-April, the city reported 56 "blue sky days," 16 fewer than the same period in 2005.

Just a break from Bush related politics for a second. Interesting yes? Something like this would probably never work in the U.S. even if we ever needed it. (even in LA )

[TexasF355F1]

First off, thanks for the break of our typical topics. HAHA.

Very interesting. Don't really see how it would end up working there that well. Although under a communist government the threats are probably pretty real.

[2strokebloke]

Well for one, with china's cars it probably would make a difference and for two, they may be communists, but the request for the car free day is only a "suggestion" - rather than a law. Of course if you live in that country you probably treat "suggestions" the same way you treat laws.

[fredjacksonsan]

Refreshing breath of fresh air.


Pun intended.

[mellowboy]

I think its a good idea. Will it work here? Probably not. If we do it here, it should be a protest against high gas prices.