O World Car Free Day, celebrated on September 22nd, aims to make people aware of the responsible use of cars. Several actions are put into practice on that date in order to offer alternatives and clarifications on the harmful use of individual motor vehicles.
See too: August 14 — Pollution Combat Day
Why is there a World Car Free Day?
Like growth of urbanization and of the industrialization in societies around the world, the use of the automobile as the main means of locomotion was widespread. People use this instrument to move between different places, many of them distant from each other. Thus, the car has become an integral part of our lives, so that, for many, it is difficult to think of life without it.
This increase in car use, if makes life easier on the one hand, causes problems on the other., as it increases the consumption of fuels and, consequently, generates more pollutants to the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide (CO
2). This gas is considered by many scientists as one of the main responsible for the intensification of the greenhouse effect and the worsening of global warming.Because of this problem, the World Car Free Day was created, celebrated on 22 September. The first country to celebrate this date was France, in 1997. From there, gradually several other places began to celebrate it, mainly due to the performance of environmental groups and also activists who also fight for better mobility urban. In the 2000s, several European nations had already spread this practice, including with the International Day “In the City, without my CarrO”, created by European Union.
In Brazil, since 2001, environmental movements and cyclo-activists put the practice of World Car Free Day into activity, not only leaving the use of the car, but promoting incentives for people to use alternative means in cities, mainly with the use of bicycles to cover certain distances. With this, in addition to emitting less pollutants into the atmosphere, there is also the promotion of urban mobility, which provides an improvement in the quality of life for the population.
Thus, the main objective of World Car Free Day, as its name implies, is to establish a day when people only use their cars when they really need it, looking for the use of mass transport or bicycles. Depending on the case, it is also worth going on foot, when distances are shorter. With this, it is expected that people emit less pollutants from the means of transport.
See too: Urban mobility in Brazil – challenges and solutions
What are the possible measures to reduce the use of cars?
Of course, in our daily lives, the use of a bicycle instead of a car does not depend exclusively on personal choice., a public policy that encourages this change is also needed. Therefore, the construction of cycle paths or cycle lanes, in addition to public bicycle racks, would be a way to encourage the use of this means of transport, reducing the the presence of cars on the streets to a significant degree, especially in central areas, where the flow of vehicles is quite accentuated and traffic is usually chaotic.
Another measure to promote the reduction of cars on the streets – after all, this is the main objective of World Car Free Day – is the fighting individuality. Thus, instead of having one person for each car on the streets and avenues of the cities, collective transport is encouraged and even the practice of carpooling, which is less and less in use. For this, in addition to campaigning, it is necessary to establish improvements in public transport systems which, in Brazil, are at a very low level of quality in practically all cities in the country.
Car use in our daily lives is, without a doubt, important. We can move quickly in cases of extreme need and urgency, in addition to being able to transport a large amount of things. However, if, whenever possible, we opt for other forms of displacement, we will be contributing to a better society in various aspects, from social to cultural, from political to economic, including even reducing the level of stress in the Traffic.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-mundial-sem-carro.htm