Celebrate Car Free Day today

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Cities across the world - from Athens to Taipei - are taking part in 'Car Free Day'.

This is a day that gives us a chance to think of an alternative to driving to work. It encourages everyone to think about how much traffic congestion exists where we live, and with the rising cost of gas prices and air pollution, it is a day in which we can all share in a small part in saving the environment.

Word Carfree Day was started in 2000 to coincide with European Mobility Week. Over 1,000 cities in about 40 countries take part.

Carlos Pardo, head of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project in Colombia, says "World Carfree Day is not only a celebration of fun ways to get around the city, but a demonstration of what is possible." Which includes, "unclogged streets, clean air, and city traffic participants with their usual stress levels turned down drastically".

Organizers in India focus on promoting more bikes on their roads, rather than trying to encourage people to take public transit, as some Indian cities are so gridlocked all the time that the organizers are aware not all cars are going to disappear from their roads in one day.

Sara Stout, an orgainzer for World Carfree Day in North Amercia says "In terms of traffic reduction, the results of Carfree Day may or may not be evident to the majority of people in the city. Results here depend on the scope of the events planned." She uses Bogota, Columbia as an example, "where all private automobiles are banned from city streets on Carfree Day, [and it] is perhaps the best example of a city where traffic is significantly reduced for the day."

Many cities in the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, held a car-free Sunday, with events such as a parade of over 200 fuel efficient vehicles and various street performances that would not be able to happen with the usual amount of car congestion.

Nearly 30,000 people in Taipei also celebrated the day yesterday with a mass bike ride through the city. It was estimated that only about 3,000 people were going to take part, however the response was so overwhelming that close to ten times that much showed up, bike in hand, ready to do their part for the environment.

Athens had a car free Saturday, but all public transit in the city was free. The city wanted to educate its residents about how important it is to take public transit, as Athens is one of the most polluted cities in Europe.

Shanghai has joined in by launching a bike rental program today, much like the one that already exists in Paris. The bikes are placed outside of metro stations and aim at encouraging people to bike to their offices from the train rather than hail a cab or take a bus. There is a charge, but it is small, and organizers hope that this will cut down on the traffic and emissions.

Viktor Zabraba, an organizer in the Ukraine, says "Streets overfilled with big-engined cars and traffic jams and in need of bicycle infrastructure are the main reasons that make us act", and many cities are adopting these ideas.

Streets in Toronto are closed today, with volunteers stationed at blocked off areas to give people information about the benefits of taking public transit. " Getting people out of their cars and onto transit is a main priority" says board member and organizer Lynda Palazzi.

This day is promoted by the World Carfree Network, and aims at showing residents how much they can benefit from reducing cars on their roads, not only from an environmental point of view, but also to reduce noise pollution and stress.

Word Carfree Day was started in 2000 to coincide with European Mobility Week. Over 1,000 cities in about 40 countries take part. 

Ms. Stout says "I think success [of World Carfree Day] can be measured by how much awareness is raised and how much a particular event inspires people and communities to move away from automobile dependence".

There is still some resistance in major cities to taking part in a day like this, as it does disrupt the transportation system and forces residents to look for an alternative way to get to work. However, it is gaining in popularity and with the constant rising cost of oil and fuel, it gives everyone a chance to look at how they can get out of their car and perhaps save some money.

Oh, and maybe a little piece of the environment.