Energy: Newsletter Article: December 2001

Imagining a New City:Bogotá Takes the Lead in UN Car Free Days

Although transportation infrastructure contributes substantially to the economic and social development of countries and regions, the wide spread use of private vehicles in cities over the last half century has resulted in very large externalities. Not only does the excessive use of private vehicles contribute largely to local and global air pollution, but congestion and traffic lead to loss of productive time and a deterioration in the quality of life. In an effort to change the current trajectory, many cities have begun to imagine a new form of urban development where private vehicles are not the primary mode of transport. Increased use of public transit is essential if cities are to continue to grow without further polluting the air and increasing congestion on the roads. Yet the greatest obstacles lie not in the planning for public transport, but in changing the behavior and attitudes of people. One method of imagining a new city is holding a Car Free Day (CFD) in which the use of private vehicles in banned and citizens are asked to use buses, trains, and taxis to commute, thus allowing them to see that alternative modes of transportation are indeed possible.

Car Free Days can be very effective in moving people from single-occupancy vehicles into buses and railways by inspiring enthusiasm for a cleaner, less congested city. One example of a very successful CFD is that of Bogotá, Columbia, held on Thursday, 24 February 2000. The entire city was closed to private vehicles and people were asked to use public transport or non-motorized transport to travel throughout the day. Although the day was initially met with widespread resistance, it was ultimately so successful that a referendum to have a CFD every year was passed, and the City of Bogota was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award for an innovative project that benefits people, society and the environment. The Bogota example is one that could prove quite useful in convincing other municipalities to consider holding their own CFD as a public awareness and education tool. 

In an effort to promote greater sustainability in the transport sector, the GITE will sponsor a series of Car Free Days as a prelude to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The GITE will work with one city in each region to organize and implement a CFD. Mayors of other cities in the region will be invited for a special tour of the Car Free City. A training seminar will be held in conjunction with the visit to explore the obstacles to implementing wide-spread public transportation systems, potential solutions to the problem of excessive private vehicle use, and using Car Free Days as an educational tool. An extensive public awareness campaign will be held as a prelude to each CFD as an educational tool to promote public transport and sustainable transport policy. Each CFD will be recorded via web-cam and either shown via a simulcast or recording during each of the sessions of the Summit Preparatory Commission meetings. Upon completion of the series, a video/CD-ROM will be created and shown at a side-event of the Summit and a proclamation supporting public transport drafted by participating mayors will be presented at the Summit.

The GITE will be working with a number of partners to implement this project including City Governments, EcoPlan, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and various foundations and private sector partners.

To Learn more, visit <www.uncfd.org>