World Car-Free Day :

'Rediscover the city by bus or bike'

by S. Weragoda

People from around the globe get together today to remind the world that we don't have to accept a society dominated by cars. But do we want just one day of rallying and then return to "normal" life?

When people get out of their cars, they should stay out of their cars for at least a few days of the year. It is up to us and our cities, to help create a permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists and other people who do not drive cars.

Let the World Car-Free Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars. As the climate heats up, the World Car-Free Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and 'city planners' give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of the automobile.

Apart from the many environmental benefits, the car-free day promotes improvement of mass transit, cycling and walking, and the development of communities where jobs are closer to home and where shopping is within walking distance.

A day to 'officially' mark a car-free day came about after a structured call for it was issued at the International Ciudades Accesibles (Accessible Cities) Conference in Spain in October 1994.

Going global

In 2000, car-free days went global with a World Car-Free Day program launched by Carbusters, now World Carfree Network. The 1994 Car-Free Day Call set out a challenge for a city, neighbourhood or group to spend one carefully prepared day without cars, to study and observe closely what exactly goes on during that day, to reflect publicly and collectively on the lessons of this experience and on what might be prudently and creatively done next to build on those developments.

The exercise considered car users to be "addicts" who need to be "treated" in some way. The organisers considered it to mean that motorists should have no choice, but to be without cars, at least for a time. Soft road users such as pedestrians, bicycles, public transit and other forms of sustainable transportation are encouraged on these days. People can reflect on what their city would look like with fewer cars, and what might be needed to make this happen. Advocates claim that over 100 million people in 1,500 cities celebrate International Car-Free Day, though on days and in ways of their choice.

People are encouraged to promote an awareness of the need to change travel behaviour. The environment is the central focus of the campaign. In the concept of the Car-Free Day, the primary idea for limiting car use in city centres is the reduction of the negative impact of the use of cars on the environment, more precisely the reduction of air and noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Air pollution accounts for thousands of deaths across the world every year.

The Car-Free Day can be arranged once in (say) three months in different parts of the country before expanding to other areas across the country. Apart from decongesting city roads, public transport and carpools for commuting also result in the conservation of a lot of fuel. In cities such as Paris, there are even months when cars are banned from selected areas.

One could get used to the car-free lifestyle and want others to reap the benefits. Many have benefited greatly from it, by losing weight, clearing of thoughts with daily walks, an improved quality of life, and the financial rewards that accompany not having to maintain a car.

Car-Free Day has, however, not become a hit in some countries. In the UK, it reportedly struck a discordant note last year, and on the question of why it was so, the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) of UK, which first coordinated the event in Britain, blamed the lack of interest on slashed budgets for local government and dwindling interest in the environment.

ETA Director 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.

Desire for mobility

"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," he said.

The operation to promote the awareness of the need to change travel behaviour is centred on three types of measures designed to: Encourage the use of alternative forms of transport and travel other than private cars; raise awareness and inform city-dwellers of what is at stake so far as concerns long-term mobility in towns and the risks connected with pollution and show the town in another light thanks in particular to reduced motorised traffic within restricted areas.

A major objective of the Car-Free Day is to provide an opportunity for local authorities to pilot new transport modes. It is an opportunity for all the participating towns to show how much environmental issues concern them. The operation will allow them to express themselves on the matter and at the same time give citizens an opportunity to show their support, by their interest and involvement, for measures for a better quality of life in the urban environment.

The starting point of the Car-Free Day concept is simple: Ban the car out of a restricted area in the city centre for one day and give the opportunity to inhabitants and visitors to (re)discover the possibilities of other transport modes and the positive effects of a car-free city centre.

Six categories

But, banning the car out of a certain area for one day isn't enough. The guidelines for organising a Car-Free Day can be divided into six categories such as the implementation of a car-free zone, the upgrading and the promotion of the accessibility of the city centre by public or soft transport modes, the involvement and mobilisation of a broad range of actors in the preparation and the organisation of the event, setting up a communication campaign, the organisation of a set of activities during the day (both educational and convivial) and the monitoring and assessment of the event.

Since the Car-Free Day is a growing awareness raising campaign, it is evident that much attention has to be paid to an efficient information and communication plan. The tone of the communication campaign remaining positive is vital.

A major obstacle for the Car-Free Day is that it is often perceived as an event directed against the car. To overcome this point of view, it has to be highlighted with an alternative slogan such as: 'Re-discover the city by bus or bike'.

Car-Free Days are held more than once a year in several countries on a successful and large scale. In Sri Lanka, which city will take the initiative of becoming the first car-free region?