by frog
Beijing’s massive traffic restriction programme, launched just before the Olympics is coming to an end:
The return to Beijing’s traffic- and smog-heavy status quo will mark the end of what may have been the world’s largest pollution control experiment: a restriction on cars, factories and construction that lasted for two months and resulted in the clearest skies Beijing has seen in a decade and raised vehicle speeds 10 percent to 43 kph.
All of which, to me, seems like another reason why it’s important to design cities, towns and transport systems in such a way that maximises people’s freedom to choose alternatives to the car if they want. Because once you get to the stage Beijing is at the solution seems to become bans and limits on people’s ability to drive rather than making it easier to choose less polluting and healthy alternatives.
Car Free Day on Monday will be an important reminder that our towns and cities will be better if we invest now in building fast, efficient public transport and design that encourages walking, skating and cycling.
If you are in Wellington you can celebrate Car Free Day by joining Living Streets Walk Home to Hataitai (and maybe the Realm)
Published in Environment & Resource Management by frog on Fri, September 19th, 2008
Tags: beijing, car free day, China, living streets, Pollution, traffic, wellington
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Considering how sensitive to small changes the price of petrol has become, I wonder if an end to traffic restrictions in Beijing will lead to a noticeable rise in the price of petrol.
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Ah, seems we are both thinking about Car Free Day frog. I’ve made my little contribution over at g.blog.
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Does anybody know any more about the Sth island company making green crude from sewage pond algae – note, not Aquaflow, this is a different company and they were on One news last night saying they’d be producing commercially next year.
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As a side note, a lot of Beijingers liked having low smog and freely-flowing traffic. Now they will have to put up it again, and chances are a lot of them will not be very happy.
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I think this is what you are referring to kiwinuke.
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Thanks Toad, that is the one.
Looks very interesting. I wonder what the key differences are between this approach and the Aquaflow research.
Exciting to see things happening in this space. No information on the commercial viability (i.e. projections of price per litre for transport fuels from this source) or expected fuel yield per hectare of sewage pond. That will be the telling information.
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What was the impact on the economy by imposing the car free days/factory closure during the olympics/paralympics?
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Hmmm, maybe Apple should have waited a month before launching Carticipate.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/carticipate-iphone-application.php
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Hey Frog –serious question: have you been to mainland China. If so where, and for how long?
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kahikatea, I think the answer to your question is propbably yes…
Oil prices were also supported by news China increased crude imports 11.54 percent in August from a year earlier, recovering from a steep July fall, the General Administration of Customs said on Friday, confirming earlier data.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4702396a6430.html
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