Takehisa Matsubara, the mayor of Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, announced on September 17 that many municipal employees would soon be prohibited from using their cars to commute to work. The city aims to preserve the global environment and promote the use of public transportation. Exceptions to the new rules will be permitted, for example when an employee is on an early morning or night shift, or needs to drop off or pick up a child at nursery school. This regulation is planned to come into effect later this year.

Fifteen thousand of Nagoya's 31,000 municipal employees currently drive to the office. The new regulation will require about 2,000 of them to stop using their cars to commute to work. Eight thousand employees who still prefer the convenience of car use will be allowed to continue commuting by car, on the condition that they pay parking fees.

Nagoya City is the first among Japan's twelve major cities to regulate commuting by car.



Posted: 2002/10/22 12:59:30 PM
Japanese version

TAG Global warming , Local government , System/Law , Transportation