This article was published in The Citizen Newspaper, Tanzania on 4th October, 2023.
Car-Free Days are days when people do not drive private vehicles to allow cities to be free of congestion and noise and to give people a chance to walk and cycle freely. While it affords city dwellers freedom and some quiet, it is an incentive to cut down emissions which negatively impact health and disrupt ecosystems and the biodiversity of the planet Earth.
There are organized efforts in many countries to encourage people to use alternative means of transport, and mobility, especially walking and cycling, as a way to invigorate their health and wellbeing. In some places this practice is extended for a week or what they refer to as Green Transport weeks, while in other places there are regular arrangements for the same every month. Globally, for over 25 years, the World Car-Free Day has been marked on September 22.
In Africa, Rwanda leads in the effort to incorporate the car-free days in their national plan, part of which is to transform Kigali into a green and environmentally sustainable city, and a Pilot Towards Green Urbanization. This programme was launched in 2016. Among the goals is to achieve zero carbon by the year 2050.
The first and third Sundays of each month are car-free days in Kigali. The two days have been dedicated to collective public physical exercise using the public roads in the city of Kigali, while at the same time pushing forward the global agenda to cut down emissions of greenhouse gases and slow down global warming.
They say, “walk, cycle, and breathe.” This is a practical response to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 which highlights the need for urgent responses to combat climate change and its impacts.
While the event takes place for three hours, those who participate have free access to medical clinics which are provided along the routes, as such promote healthier living. Speaking about the Car-Free Days in Rwanda, the health minister, Sabin Nsazimana said “We want to improve people’s lifestyles by encouraging them to exercise and go out and connect with the environment without the fear of being knocked down by speeding vehicles.”
The global goal is to mobilize collective effort to curb air pollution and encourage people to walk and cycle for their health (SDG 3) and the environment (SDG 17).
Though developed countries are progressing very fast in terms of clean energy, evident in their acceptance of eco-friendly motoring, use of electric public transport and cars, and a wide awareness among people regarding care for the environment, these advocacy opportunities are still maximized for good.
We can adopt this in Tanzania, especially in the cities. We need this advocacy to cut down on the use of fossil fuels which are still the most reliable for powering vehicles and factory and farm machinery. These emit a lot of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants to the environment.
In the cities, private vehicles contribute a lot to traffic and delays. If we have car-free days, when most people use public transport, it will help make city mobility easy.
Our society needs more motivation to participate in global advocacy initiatives such as this.
Our cities are substantially busy, and roads and byroads are filled with vehicles of all kinds, sizes and purposes. There is a lot of emission. Car-free days will help authorities of our cities to examine (assess) and improve the available facilities with much ease. It will also allow people to have a healthier feel of the environment around them, especially in highly crowded cities and towns.
Our schools ought to teach young people concrete and current happenings with relevant situational and time context, to capacitate them in solving problems. Issues like global warming, climate change, outbreaks, recent discoveries, natural disasters, and international celebrations should be taught as soon as they happen so as to carry young people along in making the earth more sustainable, habitable and life-promoting.
International days, such as World Car-Free Day have a crucial role to play in advocacy for the wholistic global common good. They are initiatives that transcend borders by pulling together efforts from all global citizens while contextualizing the same locally. We need to prioritize some of them and find practical ways to observe them locally but with a global vision.
In the same, the government needs to improve the infrastructure for alternative transport by making designated lanes for pedestrians, bicycles and scooters, and ensuring that they are safe for use. The rights of pedestrians and cyclists should be upheld by our laws. It is easier to convince people when their safety is assured.
