World Carfree Day is held on September 22 in many countries around the world. It is held under the motto “City as a space for people, a space for life”. On this day, motorists and motorcyclists were asked to stop using vehicles.
For the first time "Day without a car" was held in 1998 in France, and in 2001 more than a thousand cities in 35 countries of the world (Japan, Brazil, Canada, etc.) became official participants of the event. Since 2002, the European Commission has been holding the European Mobility Week (September 16-22), timed to coincide with the Car-Free Day.
During this week, the organizers are holding actions aimed at reminding people about the harmful effects of cars on the environment. On September 22 in Paris, according to the established tradition, the central streets of the city are blocked. Only electric cars and taxis are allowed to travel on them on this day. Anyone can get bicycles free of charge at special points on the security of identity documents. In many foreign cities, public transport on September 22 is free.
Currently, more than 100 million people in 1,500 cities around the world are taking part in the “Car Free Day” campaign. Unfortunately, the authorities of the overwhelming majority of Russian cities ignore this event. In 2005, only Belgorod took part in the event, in 2006 Nizhny Novgorod joined it, and in 2008 actions were also held in Moscow. In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund of Russia, the local authorities of St. Petersburg, Tver and some other cities joined in the organization of events on the Car-Free Day.
In Moscow, residents were asked to give up travel by private cars and use the services of the capital's transport. The cost of tickets for the Day without a car has been cut in half. The organizers of the action also recommended that drivers adjust their car engines, which would reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere by 10%, turn off the engines at stops, and use less personal cars.
In cities around the world that are concerned about the state of the environment (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, etc.), local authorities not only actively participate in organizing the Day without a car, but also generally restrict the use of individual cars by residents, and also carry out activities to develop public transport, on the arrangement of pedestrian zones and the construction of bicycle paths.
