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The European Car Free Day, which is celebrated every year on September 22, is part of a wider initiative known as European Mobility Week.
The initiative was launched in 2000 and aims to encourage citizens and communities to reduce the use of cars and turn to more sustainable forms of transport.
In order to achieve this, investments in infrastructure for cyclists, better connected and more efficient public transport and the promotion of pedestrian zones in city centers are needed.
Cities investing in sustainable mobility they become healthier, more pleasant and less polluted, thus better places to live. Sustainable transport helps reduce climate change, while at the same time increasing the quality of life for residents.
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Reduction of emissions and a more active lifestyle
One of the key reasons why European Car Free Day is important is its role in reducing emissions CO2 and air pollution.
Excessive car use contributes to poor air quality, especially in large cities, which has serious consequences for citizens' health, including respiratory diseases and an increased risk of heart disease.
In addition to reducing pollution, such initiatives also encourage people to lead a more active lifestyle. Hiking and cycling they not only contribute to better health, but also reduce stress and create an opportunity to better connect with the local community.
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A radical change in many aspects of our society is necessary for the decarbonization of traffic, and no government shows the will or understanding to move decisively in that direction and stop subsidizing wrong solutions, according to Green actions.
The International Car Free Day is usually an occasion for cities to organize a bicycle ride and some cultural event and to close traffic in the innermost center for a few hours. Serious measures that really lead to a change in the system in the long term are missing in most cities, they point out.
Decarbonization of road transport
Traffic is one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gas emissions and the growing climate crisis. Although individual road vehicles are significantly more efficient than a few decades ago and have lower emissions, the drastic increase in their number makes it impossible to reduce the total emissions from road traffic.
Almost two million cars and around 700.000 other motor vehicles are registered in Croatia alone. With such an increase, reduction of emissions from individual cars will not result in decarbonisation of road transport, even with an increase in the share of electric cars.
The increasing popularity and availability of low-cost flights makes air transport one of the most difficult to decarbonize, while the governments of many countries continue to subsidize it with public money air transport.
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In Croatia, state subsidies to airlines amount to 15 to 16 million euros per year, even though it is a sector with an extremely large carbon footprint and impact on the climate.
Infrastructure development
In cities, it is necessary to develop the public transport system to levels that will enable faster, more reliable and cheaper travel than by using a car. The cycling infrastructure should be brought to a similar level.
Railway transport should be the basis of intercity and international trips so that for distances of up to 1000 km the use of the train is more convenient than the plane.
An extremely large focus should be on reducing freight transport emissions. The global freight transport system, which is largely carried out by sea transport, creates huge emissions for which solutions, in terms of new types of drives, are still in the pilot project phase.
On World Car Free Day, the negative consequences of intensive car use such as air pollution, contribution to climate change, noise production and occupation of public areas are pointed out every year, and sustainable forms of transport are promoted.
However, in order for the effect to be real and long-term, cities and states should intensively develop real solutions and finance them, according to Green Action.
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Photo: bearfotos / Freepik
