Help | Sitemap | Archive | Advanced Search | Mirror in USA   
  CHINA
  BUSINESS
  OPINION
  WORLD
  SCI-EDU
  SPORTS
  LIFE
  WAP SERVICE
  FEATURES
  PHOTO GALLERY

Message Board
Feedback
Voice of Readers
China Quiz
 China At a Glance
 Constitution of the PRC
 State Organs of the PRC
 CPC and State Leaders
 Chinese President Jiang Zemin
 White Papers of Chinese Government
 Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping
 English Websites in China
Help
About Us
SiteMap
Employment

U.S. Mirror
Japan Mirror
Tech-Net Mirror
Edu-Net Mirror
 
Monday, October 16, 2000, updated at 08:58(GMT+8)
Life  

China Initiates First Car-Free Day in Chengdu


China Initiates First Car-Free Day in Chengdu
The nation's first Car-Free Day was launched Octover14 in Chengdu, this capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Local streets have significantly less automobiles on them but are more crowded with bicycles and pedestrians, after China's first initiative aimed at encouraging people to leave their cars at home and use pollution-free traffic vehicles.

The local government set a total of 14 square kilometers of area where most of the automobiles, except shuttle buses, bicycles and vehicles for emergency situations, are restricted. Wang Rongxuan, mayor of Chengdu, also rode on a bicycle to work today, although he is accustomed to taking his Audi sedan.

"I practiced for a while beforehand and found that I can still manage to handle it," said Wang. His words aroused a laugh among people and some reporters around him.

"It is more comfortable to ride a bike than take the car," Wang told his secretary while riding to the local traffic control bureau.

There are about 650,000 motor vehicles in Chengdu, but today there are only 20,000 on the road, Li Zhaolin, director general of the bureau, reported to the mayor.

Some 2,000 elderly people also organized a bicycle trip along the city's Funan River to draw attention to protecting the environment.

"Our environment will become cleaner if everyone contributes," said Xiang Changzhu, a member of the team.

In the Tianfu Square, one of the most busiest places in Chengdu, the air pollution index was recorded at between 30 and 40, but usually the figure will reach 80, according to an environment

supervisor who was working there.




In This Section
 

The nation's first Car-Free Day was launched Octover14 in Chengdu, this capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Advanced Search


 


 


Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved