World Car Free Day 2022: September 22 is celebrated as World Car Free Day. The event promotes is based at raising environmental conservation by the means of encouraging mass transit, cycling and walking. Studies have shown that for short trips in cities, one can reach more quickly using a bicycle rather than using a car. So, on the occasion of World Car Day, let's take a look at the history and significance of the occasion and how we can contribute towards a sustainable future by decreasing fossil fuel consumption.
History of World Car Free Day 2022
Car Free days were organised as early as during the oil crisis of the 1970s, and several Car Free days were organised in European cities during the early 1990s. An international carfree day was organised in Europe in 1999, which was the pilot project for the European Union's In Town Without My Car campaign. This campaign continues as European Mobility Week. Seeing the huge public turnout and support for the cause, in 2000, car-free days went global with a World Car Free Day program launched by Carbusters, now World Carfree Network.
Significance of World Car Free Day 2022
World Carfree Day is an intiative to show just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars. It is an en excellent opportunity to rethink and rediscover our personal mobility and the urban environment we live in. Additionally, World Car Free Day is an annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. It is intended to advance the economic, social and environmental benefits of mass transportation. It is meant to promote more sustainable ways of transportation and new ways of building and thinking the urbanism of our cities, allowing streets to be a living space, rather than only a transit space, as per worldcarfree.net.
Aims of Car Free Day
Some of the aims of Car Free Day are:
-- To spend one carefully prepared day without cars.
-- To study and observe closely what exactly goes on during that day.
-- Then, to reflect publicly and collectively on the lessons of this experience and on what might be prudently and creatively done next to build on these.