To celebrate World Car-Free Day we’re encouraging everyone to hop on the bike. We have an ongoing raffle to win a high-quality bike lock. Before we go into how to enter we thought we’d explain what Car Free Day is and the benefits of open urban roads.
What is World Car-free Day?
World Car-Free Day is a widely recognised annual event on 22nd September where cities and towns across Europe shut down their roads to cars. The initiative was first suggested in 1994 at the International Ciudades Accessibles conference. It was informally picked up in Britain, Iceland and France over the following years and by 2000 the European Commission recognised the day as an official initiative.
For example, in London, there is a plan to create a zero-emission square mile as well as 600 ‘Play Streets’ – roads emptied so children can use the space for games and celebrations. This is Berlin’s third annual Car Free Day and the city is also creating 37 ‘Play Streets’ as well as an emptied city centre for cyclists and pedestrians. Paris is one of the most ambitious participants. They are emptying their entire city of cars (besides emergency vehicles) between 11 am and 6 pm.
Benefits of car-free zones
Car-free day isn’t just an excuse to celebrate. It’s a way of imagining how urban centres can be built around people instead of traffic. There are huge benefits to opening up spaces and here is a quick rundown of just a few:
Lower emissions: Obviously, the move from fossil fuels is a top priority the world over. With climate change already showing its effects, it’s never been more urgent to curb CO2 emissions. In the city of Pontevedra, Spain they shut down their medieval town square to cars in the early 2000’s and saw a 70% decrease in CO2 emission.
Health and safety: There are widespread health and safety advantages to car-free zones. In traffic-free areas, you lower the chances of premature death due to air pollution. A study in 2020 found after examining the Barcelona car-free ‘superblocks’ that almost 700 premature deaths from air-pollution were prevented. Not to mention the reduction in traffic accidents or the added health benefits of walking and cycling.
Mental health and community: Noise pollution and traffic can strain your mental well-being. Without the stress of traffic jams and the freedom to walk empty roads, there is a marked improvement in mood. Parents worry less about accidents involving children and a stronger social fabric is built simply by feeling more present in your community. While cars no doubt have a strong utility, having dedicated areas where interaction is more prevalent builds healthier community ties.
Commerce and infrastructure: Many independent shops and local highstreets are the first to feel the effect of a strained economy. Emptying the streets of cars, even sporadically, creates a much higher footfall for such businesses. The extra room also paves way for more public green spaces, cycle routes and other public transportation. That alone opens up areas and can make commuting easier and an economy healthier.
Our part
We are celebrating World Car-Free Day with a STRAVA club raffle to win five ABUS locks, each worth 80 €. We’ll be running the competition till the 23rd of September. To participate simply follow Ampler Bikes on STRAVA. Share your rides as a post onto our STRAVA club, which is where we will announce the winners. For all those enjoying World Car-Free Day we wish you happy riding!