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Shenzhen, China Promotes Car-Free Days and Car Restrictions

01 Aug 2005

Posted In: Planning & Advocacy for Cycling & Walking, China

Government authorities and residents of Shenzhen, China are taking a variety of steps to reduce congestion and air pollution.

Resident-led actions include the organization of the city’s second annual “Green Action Day” in early June. Similar to car-free days in other countries, on this day all citizens are encouraged to take buses or ride bicycles to work. Area residents quoted in the Shenzhen News pointed to Amsterdam as a useful model for bicycle network design and for the public example provided by high-level Dutch officials who rely on bicycles for commuting to work.

The City of Shenzhen has also begun to issue fines of 300 yuan (US $36.60) to drivers that violate emissions standards. As part of a six-month grace period and public information campaign, police began putting yellow labels on vehicles which fail to meet Euro I or Euro II standards for petrol- and diesel-powered engines. Almost half of the 600,000 labeled vehicles in Shenzhen bear the yellow label and will face increasing travel restrictions. The Shenzhen police are also implementing a system that includes an odd- and even-number license plate schedule to reduce congestion and give priority to high-capacity passenger vehicles at key nodes in the city’s road network, such as railway stations.