Feel like doing a good deed for the environment? If you are going to leave your car at home for a day, Monday, September 22 would be the perfect one to choose.
The Jalisco Congress last week gave its approval to this date as the “Dia Estatal Sin Auto” (State Carfree Day), joining with cities around the world to encourage motorists to find alternative means of getting around – if only for 24 hours.
A decentralized event, World Carfree Day purports to be a showcase for just how cities might look, feel and sound without cars. The day seeks to promote the 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.
Several local NGOs are issuing their own challenges to motorists on Monday. Paseo en Bici’s “Reto Sin Autos 2014” challenge asks those who leave their cars at home to document their day as a pedestrian (photos or videos) and post them on the “Subete a la Ciudad” Facebook page.
Jalisco Transport Secretary Mauricio Gudiño has signed up for the challenge and says he will be using public transport on Monday.
An international car free day was proposed in 1994 during an “Accessible Cities” conference in Spain. The first event took place in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1997, followed by Bath, England and La Rochelle, France. Now more than 1,500 events are planned on and around September 22 each year in dozens of countries.
According to the World Carfree Network, Carfree Day is “the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile.”