From Financial Times:
More than 100 Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai are to take part in the country’s first official urban “car-free day”, barring automobiles from selected areas and ordering officials to swap their black sedans for public transport.
The decision to join other urban centres around the world in holding “no car” events on September 22 is a reflection of growing concerns about congestion, pollution and global warming that are clouding China’s passionate love affair with the automobile.
Beijing leaders have made creation of a powerful motor industry a cornerstone of industrial policy, and urban planners have often favoured drivers over the cyclists who once ruled China’s roads.[Full Text]
