The Global Times - Shanghai will again scale down its efforts for annual World Car-free Day this Saturday as the local government plans to move the zone where private cars will be banned from Xuhui district to Pudong New Area.

For the city's sixth World Car-free Day, the Shanghai Transport and Port Authority will close a three-square-kilometer area in Pudong, including sections of Century Avenue, Xueye Road and Expo Avenue, from 9 am to 4 pm, according to a press release from the authority.

Taxis and buses will be allowed to drive through the car-free zone and the transportation authority will arrange free shuttle buses for residents who live there, according to Huang Xiaoyong, a press officer with the transportation authority.

Huang did not explain why the authority moved the car-free zone from last year's location in Xuhui, but did say that the impact on commuters will be kept to a minimum. "This year's World Car-free Day falls on a weekend, and it will have less impact on traffic during the morning and evening rush hours," he told the Global Times.

During last year's World Car-free Day, about 70,000 more residents than usual rode the subway, according to statistics from Shanghai Shentong Metro Group, the city's subway operator. It reported that 1.72 million people rode the subway during morning rush hour, 2 percent more than on a typical work day.

In the event's first year in 2007, the city government imposed a 12-hour ban on private cars on several major roads in the central business district near Lujiazui in Pudong New Area. The resulting confusion caused many commuters to be late for work.

In 2009, the restrictions were scaled down to two and a half hours in less traveled areas, such as Longteng Avenue and Wanping Road South in Xuhui district.

World Car-free Day can raise public awareness about pollution, but government policies are far more important for cutting vehicle emissions, said Chen Wenkai, an automotive market analyst from Gasgoo, an auto information portal.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center will monitor air quality on Saturday for the first time citywide. "We will compare the pollution index on car-free day to that on a normal day," said Fu Qingyan, a senior engineer at the air quality watchdog. "In that case, we will know the significance of encouraging people to take public transportation as we expect the pollution index to fall."

All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce, copy and use the editorial content without permission. Contact us: autonews@gasgoo.com.