How did World Car-Free Day come about?
The origin of World Car-Free Day dates back to 1973. As a result of the oil crisis, many countries were unable to obtain the reserves they needed, and various alternatives began to emerge to reduce the use of vehicles and, consequently, the use of oil.
However, it was not until the 1990s when this world day took a leap forward and began to become increasingly popular. The first country to declare this event as a national day was the United Kingdom in 1997.
Three years later, in 2000 and with the beginning of the new millennium, the European Commission agreed that September 22 would be celebrated every year as World Car-Free Day. An initiative that advances towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
How is World Car-Free Day celebrated?
World Car-Free Day serves to reinforce social awareness about the importance of reducing car use, especially on short journeys, and to support sustainable transport. In short, it is an action of environmental social responsibility to raise awareness about major environmental objectives, such as the use of solar panels or the use of biofuels.
decides what actions it will carry out throughout that day. However, although a specific day has been set to commemorate this event, many cities organize various awareness-raising actions throughout the week, which has been named Mobility Week.
Below, we tell you about some of the most notable initiatives to commemorate World Car-Free Day 2024 in Spain:
Free transport in many cities
One of the most repeated actions in various Spanish cities during World Transport Day Car-free is the permission to use city buses for free.
The Valencia City Council has announced that, on September 22, using any Metropolitan Transport Company (EMT) bus will be free, both for residents of the city and for tourists.
The same has been announced by the León City Council, ensuring that, on September 22, World Car-free Day, city buses will be free. In this city, in addition, a cycle-tourist march is being held on this day to raise awareness about the benefits of using the bicycle as a sustainable means of transport.
For its part, Salamanca is also joining the cities that offer free bus trips during this day. In this city, in addition, there will be theatre animations at the bus stops.
In the case of Valencia, it should also be noted that it has been chosen as the European Green Capital 2024. Therefore, during that week it also celebrates various activities of all kinds related to sustainable mobility.
