At Right: Traffic jam in Xiamen, China, via LAObserved.
September 22nd marks the first annual “No Car Day” in China. This is a national campaign that hopes to reduce exhaust emissions and ease traffic congestion by limiting the number of private vehicles on the roads. According to Inhabitat, over 100 cities in China will participate, and residents will travel by foot, bike, or public transportation to reach their destinations. A full one-third of Shanghai’s city vehicles will be ordered off the roads and private cars till be banned from driving through downtown areas.
I’d hate to think that the U.S. government would get involved with a “no car day” in this country. Undoubtedly, many citizens would revolt or refuse to that government idea seriously (is Detroit calling?). San Francisco has an idea…free public transportation is offered to commuters on their “Spare the Air” days. *sigh* Can’t get sumpin’ for nuttin’ in this country, can you? But, I guess bribes are better than government mandate.
Perhaps the real question is this: Why can’t people give up their cars for one day without bribery or government intervention? Are we all that addicted?
Posted by ewoman at 8:00 AM PDT
