China's No Car Day

In a positive step to promote environmental health, China will initiate its first-ever nationwide "no car day" this weekend to help alleviate increasingly gridlocked urban roads, stated China Daily Monday.

According to the report, residents in 108 cities will be urged to take public transport, ride bikes or walk on the nation's first "no car day" on Saturday. It was not stated as to why Saturday was chosen.

The paper stated, "The move is an attempt to raise residents' awareness on energy saving and environmental protection because the country's cities are plagued by traffic congestion and pollution."

Government officials and state-run enterprise employees may be forced to take public transportation, as government-owned cars would be banned for the day altogether.

A week-long campaign to publicise the government's goal of getting 50 percent of the nation's urban residents to use public transport instead of private cars would also be initiated, it said.

China's auto industry has been a key component of the nation's booming economy with vehicle production rising by 32.7 percent in July compared to the same period last year.