George Town to be car-free on Sundays starting Dec 11

It’s all set to get a bit quieter in George Town on Sundays. According to reports, Penang’s CM Lim Guan Eng has announced that selected roads in the state capital are to go car-free every Sunday starting from December 11.

Lim said the George Town Car Free Day, as the initiative is called, was the first in the country and is aimed at shrinking the state’s carbon footprint and helping lower-income groups raise their income at the same time.

“No vehicles or motorcycles will be allowed in these Car Free Day zones, only bicycles and trishaws. This will assist trishaw riders in drawing an additional source of income,” Lim said in a media statement.

He added that the state government has been directed to increase the aid given to trishaw riders – who turn up in the heritage zone every Sunday between 7 am and 5 pm – to RM100 a month. Prior to this, trishaw riders were given the RM100 aid once every two months.

The reports add that trishaw riders who register with the Penang Tourism Department, which is headed by state executive councillor, Danny Law, are set to get a RM20 bonus when they participate in the campaign.

This follows on other reports that said that the trishaw riders had rejected the RM100 aid to be dispensed every two months, and had wanted a monthly payment of RM60 instead. Guess this new deal should cut it out fine.

What do you think? Is the Car Free Day initiative going to be a beneficial move?

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 29 Nov 11 09:18:48 +0000.

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