If owning a car is a dream for many urban dwellers, the requirement to get behind the wheel less frequently is an even bigger dream for many Beijing residents.

 

As it’s World Environment Day today fewer cars are expected on the capital's streets as more than 200,000 motorists had pledged to comply with a request not to drive their cars to work one day a month.

 

Participants are from 79 Beijing auto clubs, eight environmental and 10 media organizations and 14 university environmental societies.

 

"The idea is for people to drive less," said Li Yunwei, who initiated the campaign and participates in the drivers' online forum www.chinakia.net which is a leading auto club in Beijing.

 

But Li says the event is not just about the number of participants. "It’s the fact that what we do every day actually affects the environment," he said. He made this comment after being asked several times by the media about how many would participate in today's campaign.

 

"Only when the concept of environmental protection becomes part of motorists' culture and involves the majority of the public can Beijing's air quality be improved," he said.

 

Xie Meng, for one, is willing to change her driving habits. "I used to drive to work every day but now I try to take the subway once a week," said Xie, 25, who works for the China Development Research Foundation.

 

Commuting by subway for Xie means getting up at 6:30 AM and making three transfers but it’s only a 50-minute drive for the journey from Tiantongyuan, a large residential community, outside the Fifth Ring Road to Deshengmen on the Second Ring Road.

 

"Driving a car is faster and more comfortable," she said. "Moreover, I don't need to ride in the crowded carriages. But given traffic on Monday mornings and the rising cost of petrol I've started to take the subway on Mondays."

 

Gains in air quality and the awareness of the upcoming Olympics have also contributed to the promised rise in participation. "Not everyone is interested in air quality," Li said. "But if you say that the move helps realize the goal of a green Olympic Games that's something every Beijing resident will support."

 

Beijing has more than 2.6 million motor vehicles on its streets and the number of new vehicles is increasing by more than 1,000 a day--both these figures are the highest in the country.

 

And vehicle emissions will increase as the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau estimates the city will have 3.5 million vehicles by 2008.

 

Motor vehicle emissions are the leading cause of air pollution in the city with 3,600 tons of pollutants being emitted by cars every day and accounting for around 23 percent of the pollution, the bureau's figures show.

 

Pollution reaches its highest level when vehicles drive slowly in traffic, said Tang Xiaoyan, a professor at Peking University.

 

The Beijing environmental protection bureau is making efforts through its "blue sky days" campaign, launched in 1998, to increase the number of days with good or fair air quality in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games.

 

By the end of May, the city reported 83 "blue sky days," 13 fewer than the same period in 2005, which means reaching the goal of 238 this year may prove difficult.

 

The car-free campaign is part of Beijing's efforts to get more residents to become "green" commuters. People are being encouraged to cycle, walk, use taxis or other forms of public transport. And one of Beijing's top environmental officials has hit the headlines with his participation.

 

Du Shaozhong, 52, deputy director of the Beijing environmental protection bureau, walked 6 kilometers to his office, which took nearly 70 minutes, one morning in mid-May. Some commentators labeled his efforts a "show" but Du is not deterred.

 

"I’m going to walk to my office and take the bus home," Du told China Daily. "It’s exercise and also helps protect the environment. In fact the day after the media reported it a lot of my colleagues joined me."

 

Besides the municipal government private companies are also major players in the campaign. Last week about 30 of them committed to encourage their employees to use public transport.

 

Organized by the US-based non-profit organization Environmental Defense and the China Association for NGO Cooperation foreign companies including oil giants BP and Shell and the China Electrical Council are asking their employees to use public transport.

 

Dynabond Consulting, a French consultancy, has nearly all its 20 employees becoming green commuters for the day. Arnaud Baril, general manager, often cycles or takes a bus to his office, located in Liangmahe in Chaoyang District.

 

"We’ll have only one employee who will drive to work and the rest will take the bus or walk," said Zhao Rui, marketing executive for Dynabond Consulting who studied and worked in France for over three years.  

 

Zhao says she still remembers the time she stepped off the plane from France and noticed only one color yellow. "I felt really depressed and shocked by the air quality," she said. Zhao commutes by bus for nearly one hour each way. "Public transport is more convenient and faster than most people think," she added.

 

The passion to improve the environment in Beijing might meet with some success one day a month but how to sustain participation is a matter of much debate.

 

The feasibility of the program is important. "You have to chart a route people can follow," environment official Du Shaohong said. Not driving a one day a month was practical and didn’t result in much pressure, he observed. 

 

Offering more convenient public transport, including more carriages in the subway and buses equipped with air-conditioners, would encourage people to leave their cars behind, Du said. Even if 200,000 motorists participated in today’s program the city’s public transport system could handle the passenger flow, he added.

 

"The city's transportation management bureau officials told me that handling increased passenger numbers is on their agenda and they would take this opportunity to improve the system," Du said.

 

Incentives should also be offered to help the public stick to their goals. "We need a reward system offered by companies and institutions," said Zhang Jianyu, Beijing office head of Environmental Defense.

 

Zhang said companies' involvement had become the key to environment protection in some countries. Measures include reimbursing public transport fares or offering free parking for employees who use pool cars.

 

"The relationship between the company and employees will remind participants to stick to their commitment and effectively sustain the campaign," Zhang said.

 

In Dynabond Consulting's case, the firm is considering offering subsidies to workers who take public transport, according to Zhao Rui.

 

If you want to participate in the Car-Free Day, check out www.bjee.org.cn.

 

(China Daily June 5, 2006)