More buses, fewer cars on 'Car Free Day'
Updated: 2007-09-23 08:33
Beijing put 200 more buses on the city's streets on Saturday for the convenience of citizens who left their cars at home to support "Car Free Day".
 A combined picture shows traffic conditions on the "Car Free Day" (L) and the day before (R) on a busy flyover in Zhenzhou, Central China's Henan Province on September 22, 2007. [Xinhua]
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In some downtown areas in Beijing, only public transport and service vehicles will be allowed from 7 am to 7 pm in the day.
Beijing is one of the 108 Chinese cities, which also include Shanghai, Jinan, Fuzhou, Kunming, Changsha and Taiyuan, that responded positively to the "Car Free Day".
"Since the 'Car Free Day' is meant to reduce pollution and traffic jams,all drivers should support this," said Li Ming, a taxi driver in Beijing.
In Fuzhou, capital city of the eastern Fujian Province, banners printed with "Green Travel" appeared in most busy streets.
"Green travel is both the responsibility of the public and the government. As the public transport system can't satisfy people's needs, many people turn to private cars. The government should try to improve the public transport system so people will use private cars less," said Xu Doudou, head of the humanity institute of Fuzhou University.
Every September 22 is a "Car Free Day" in many countries around the world.
Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, pioneered China's first "Car Free Day" on October 14, 2000. It resulted in a 37.5 percent drop in traffic accidents and significant noise reduction.
Saturday marks China's first large-scale participation in "Car Free Day" activities. The number of cars dropped noticeably in most of the participating cities on the day.
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