Some downtown roads in Shanghai will be closed to traffic from tomorrow through Friday so that locals and visitors can walk along and enjoy the specially illuminated buildings during the National Day holiday.

The restrictions will last from 4:30 pm to 11 pm on those days, according to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau.

The following areas will be affected:

Starting from 4:30pm, Zhongshan Road E1 and Zhongshan Road E2, which makes up the main section of the Bund, will be closed to all vehicles.

Starting from 5:30pm, vehicles are not allowed in downtown "illuminated areas," which mainly refers to Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road, People's Square and Pudong's Binjiang Avenue area. From 5:45pm on, no buses or bikes are permitted in the areas. And people are not allowed to use pedestrian bridges or tunnels in these zones during the control periods.

Buses and bikes will be allowed to access Sichuan Road, Beijing Road and Changzhi Road in the downtown.

Metro trains won't stop at the Nanjing Road E. Station during traffic control periods.

Ferry services across the Huangpu River will be suspended, and the underground sightseeing tunnel at the Bund will be closed.

Special lights for National Day holidays will be switched on for only five days this year, instead of seven, in an effort to save energy.

(Shanghai Daily September 27, 2008)