World Car Free Day! Is it real? Is that a thing?
By Michael Smith for Cyclist Hut online
Yes, Car Free Day is real and it’s being celebrated all around the world on 22 September.
Why Car Free Day?
A Car Free Day is to encourage all of the people especially car owners not to drive their cars and instead use mass transit such as train, bus, bicycle, carpool, vanpool, subway, or walking and to feel how our environment and society are like without the pollution of motor cars.
According to World Car Free Network, The World Car Free Day is a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without car other than 365 days a year.
The History behind Car Free Day
People felt that the alternative should be found for motor cars after the Oil Crisis of 1973. Following the crisis, people started to held and organize Car Free Days throughout the 1990s unofficially. But it took much more time, almost 10 years to make it official and lunch in 2000. On that day, many big cities such as Jakarta and Bogota closed their central roads to held smaller car-free events by feeling them with walking, running and cycling events.
How it is Celebrated?
In European Cities during the Mobility Week, 16 to 22 September, show their commitment to clean and sustainable urban transport.
It also provides the opportunity to the citizens by the alternative use of congested roads in various ways and how it protects and broaden the beauties of the cities.
Races for alternative energy-powered vehicles In Budapest,
horse riding in Sao Paulo
Vienna street picnics
Marathon in Jakarta
These are held as an event to increase to use the alternative of the vehicles on the World Car Free Day.
How I can participate in a Car Free Day?
There aren’t any rules to celebrate Car Free Day. We can celebrate Car Free Days in many ways. But cycling is the easiest and fun to ride on this day.
Bicycle is thought to be the most environmentally friendly traveling equipment. It doesn’t produce any pollutants. On the other hand, riding a bicycle is healthy and work as exercise. Many communities celebrate the Car Free day just by cycling. They all use to travel by bicycle that day. Though developed countries have different cycle lanes but who wouldn’t love to ride a bicycle on a full free road where you don’t have to be careful of cars, watch backs. You just can ride your bicycle freely.
Some people travel to the countryside with their bicycles in weekly events and monthly events. They also hold this kind of event on Car Free Day. We can either join them or ride to the countryside on your own. Either way you will be able to enjoy the beauty of nature without any cars on the free road.
Some communities hold bicycle races for kids and adults also to promote this day. They block the high way roads and make it cycle race track. You can also join them with your family.
So celebrating Car Free day by an organized bicycling event is the most popular and easiest and most communities do it to promote Car Free day among them.
Final Words
The Car Free day isn’t just meant to do cycling. It about realizing how a car is polluting our environment and demolish the beauty of it. Many Developed countries take imitative to reduce the number of cars on the road to reduce the pollution within. As the bicycle is environmentally friendly and healthy, it’s the main voice against Jampacked roads. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle we need. Nowadays many people are choosing to ride a bicycle instead of driving in daily communication.
We also can do that. Riding a bicycle will never bring any harm instead it’s the only hope to reduce the pollution in our journeys in our Earth. It could save our Environment, Earth and as well as us. Thus if you bring a bike you just participated in Car Free day and if we ride it every day you are the participant of Car Free Day and a saving face of your society.