Green Traffic Week to Cut Emissions

Volunteers in Hefei, eastern Anhui Province, ride bicycles instead of driving motor vehicles, to advocate green traffic on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007. [Photo: Xinhua]

The government has urged people in 108 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, to walk, ride bicycles and use public transport instead of driving cars for a week till September 22.

Initiated by the Ministry of Construction (MOC), the first national urban public transport campaign, "Green Transport and Health", will see one or more special zones in the 108 cities. These will be open only to pedestrians, bicycles, taxis and buses from 7 am to 7 pm on September 22, or the "No Car Day".

The move is an attempt to raise residents' "awareness on energy saving and environmental protection" because the country's cities are plagued by traffic congestions and pollution caused by too many vehicles on the road.

The weeklong campaign will be repeated during the same period every year, the MOC said. MOC Vice-Minister Qiu Baoxing told reporters the campaign will save 33 million liters of gas and cut emissions by 3,000 tons on the "No Car Day". Moreover, it will also reduce the chances of accidents on the cities' roads.

"The move is to highlight the position of public transport, which should play an even bigger role in modern cities to conserve energy and control emissions," he said.

The green campaign's "ambitious goal" is to make more than 50 percent commuters use public transport. And government officials have to take the lead in this direction.

相关链接：
无车日来历
9月16日至22日是欧盟发起的无车周，“无车周”意在呼吁人们不要过度依赖小轿车，改变出行的手段，乘坐公共交通、骑自行车或以步代车。

法国是无车日的发起者。1998年9月22日法国34个城市率先举办了无车日活动，以增强人们的环保意识，减少对家庭轿车的依赖，呼唤更清新的空气和更宁静的生活环境。随后，欧洲各国纷纷效仿，2000年欧盟也将无车日活动纳入了环保政策的框架内。

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