New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a plan for a car-free zone in Manhattan, to be trialled this summer on three Saturdays in August.

The 'Summer Streets' initiative is seen by commentators as being a tentative step towards creating more permanent car-free zones in the city.

It will run on August 9, 16 and 23 and be effective across a near-seven mile stretch from Brooklyn Bridge to Park Avenue and the Upper East Side. The vehicle ban will run from 7am to 1pm, and will include buses and trucks.

The three car-free mornings will be celebrated with fitness and dance classes, yoga sessions and bicycle hire in the closed streets, which link to the huge Central Park. The events are co-ordinated by a group called Transportation Alternatives.

Businesses have voiced concern over difficulties with deliveries, and some residents have been worried about access to their homes. However, the initiative seems to have generally been welcomed, and more regular car-free days may well follow. With the USA waking up to the reality of high fuel prices, such measures may begin to meet with less resistance - at least in cities such as New York, which have a good public transport system and less reliance on private vehicles.