World Car Free Day 2011

Hundreds of cities in up to 40 countries are today expected to take part in World Car Free Day 2011, an event first organised in Britain by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA).

World Car Free Day, or ‘In town without my car day’ as it is referred to in Britain, takes place every year on 22nd September.

How can I get involved?

Car free day is not about condemning cars or even encouraging people to travel less, it’s simply an international celebration of environmentally-sensitive transport – a suggestion to try something different.

For example, rather than wasting your precious time this weekend in a queue for the car park, why not dust off your bicycle and ride to the shops instead? If it’s been a while since you took to two wheels, you might be surprised by how much fun it is to park right outside your favourite shop – for free.

Why does it matter?

A good place to start might be the noise, air pollution and stress associated with high volumes of traffic that not only erodes the day-to-day quality of life of urban dwellers, but damages their health. Noise pollution is a serious and under-reported environmental problem; according to the World Health Organisation, 40 per cent of Europeans are regularly exposed to road traffic noise exceeding 55 decibels. In Sweden, it is illegal for noise levels to exceed 55 decibels at the front of a building. All cars are responsible for CO2 emissions, and on a local level, soot from diesel engines exacerbates asthma and studies in rats have shown that minuscule soot particles can make their way directly to the brain via nerves in the nose.

“A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: The problems associated with our dependence on cars can feel insurmountable, but the first step is as simple as occasionally leaving the car at home in favour of bicycles, trains and buses”

Car free day is part of an event on sustainable mobility that runs from the 16th to the 22nd September. See also European Mobility Week