World Breathes Easier, It's Car-Free Day

LONDON, UK, September 22, 2004 (ENS) - Drivers across Europe left their cars at home today and headed to work by tube, bicycle or on foot. The ninth annual Car Free Day in Europe is proving to be popular, with 1,146 cities participating and 235 additional cities supporting the campaign.

Angela Bischoff of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada spreads the word about Car Free Day. (Photo by Margo Gesser courtesy Ecology Action Centre)

In England, the Car Free Day is being supported by a number of local authorities, who are closing roads and putting on street parties.

"It is great to see local initiatives taking place across the city to mark Car Free day," said London Euro-MP Jean Lambert. "But one Car Free day is not enough."

Lambert, Green Party MEP for the capital and a Walthamstow resident, made her comments at a Car Free Festival in Leyton on Saturday which was organized by Waltham Forest Borough Council as the borough's contribution to the initiative.

"Across Europe people are rediscovering their towns and cities, their neighbors and their heritage - and reducing congestion, pollution and accidents - thanks to the In Town Without My Car! initiative," she said.

Her desire for an extension of Car-Free Day has lots of support. In fact, the day has turned into European Mobility Week.

The week started last Thursday when the Environment Directorate of the European Commission hosted a conference in Brussels on Smart Moves for Sustainable Mobility.

Experts and decision makers from all over the world gathered to try to answer difficult questions and tackle the real problems of mobility in cities.

In Chrudim, Czech Republic cyclists left their cars parked. (Photo courtesy European Mobility Week)

Safe streets for children is another focus of attention. Children are vulnerable road users. Each year 2,163 young people under the age of 17 are killed in traffic. Most accidents happen on the way to and from school.

At the local level, each local authority that takes part organizes its own "In town, without my car!" event and involves as many citizens as possible as well as other local players such as shopkeepers, companies, associations and schools. The goal is to facilitate widespread debate on the necessity for changes in behavior in relation to mobility and in particular the use of the private car.

Friends of the Earth welcomed Car Free Day, saying that reducing traffic in urban areas brings real benefits, allowing communities to experience calmer, safer environments for pedestrians, cyclists and commuters.

Friends of the Earth welcomed European Car Free Day but said more must be done to reduce traffic, and cut pollution and noise during the rest of the year.

Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner, said, "We hope that as many motorists as possible will support European Car Free Day and discover alternatives to the car that can be used throughout the year. But the government and local authorities must also do more by investing in public transport and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. Using the car less must become more than just an annual event."

The Dutch Presidency of the EU is making an effort to raise the profile of sustainable transport as an issue to be resolved without delay. In his presentation Monday to the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Pieter van Geel, state secretary for housing, spatial planning and the environment said, "Mobility is vital to today’s society but road traffic is a source of environmental concern."

"The problems it causes, like air pollution, noise nuisance and greenhouse gas emissions, are difficult to solve and harm both human health and the environment. For that reason, I think it is essential to get the subject back onto the European agenda. It is already on the agenda for a policy debate at next month’s Environment Council," said van Geel.