Motorbikes are to be phased out in Shanghai's downtown areas within three years, Xinhua reported on its Web site yesterday.
Quoting Wang Jimin, head of the traffic unit of Shanghai's Public Security Bureau, the agency said motorcycles would disappear from downtown streets in the city by the end of 2005.
Beginning yesterday, motorcycles were banned from a number of Shanghai's busiest streets.
The number of motorbikes in the city has soared in the past few years.
In 1997, Shanghai had only 40,000 motorcycles and motorscooters. Today, it boasts some 140,000 motorcycles and 500,000 scooters.
These figures do not include the 140,000 unlicensed 'black motorcycles' currently in use.
'Motorcycles and motorscooters account for more than half of Shanghai's vehicles, but they only account for 2.1 per cent of the daily passenger volume,' Mr Wang was quoted as saying.