World Car Free Day 2012 stalls in Britain as support plummets

A collapse in the number of British towns supporting World Car Free Day – the annual event that encourages motorists in over 1,000 towns around the globe to leave their cars at home in favour of bicycles, trains and buses – can be blamed on slashed budgets for local government and dwindling interest in the environment, according to the ETA; the organisation that first coordinated the event in Britain.

Over the last decade, an average of over 50 British towns each year have staged events to highlight alternatives to car travel, but this year the number supporting World Car Free Day 22 September has plummeted to fewer than ten.

The ETA earlier this year wrote to over 400 local authorities around Britain to ask if they were planning to support World Car Free Day 2012; only two councils replied.

World Car Free Day continues to draw support from elsewhere; with over 400 events organised, Spain tops a league table of countries taking part, while Britain languishes near the bottom behind Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia and Greece.

Director of the ETA, Andrew Davis, said: “The economic downturn has distracted attention and diverted budgets away from green initiatives such as Car Free Day, but questioning our over-dependence on cars is as much about saving money at the pumps as it is improving the local environment in which we live and work.”

“The idea is not to put cars on trial or to condemn drivers’ desire for mobility, but those of us who live or work in urban areas become oblivious to the ever-increasing noise, air pollution and stress from traffic without realising the detrimental effect it has on our health and quality of life.

Noise pollution - 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 buildin

Air pollution - most 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.

Stressed People - who live in areas affected by high levels of road traffic noise may be more likely to suffer heart attacks than people in quieter areas, according to a study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

World Car Free Day - takes place every year on 22 September in over 30 countries – the event highlights alternatives to car travel, the rights of pedestrians and cyclists, and the need for more and better public transport.