Time mumbai had a ‘Car Free Day’

Did you know that September 22  this year was observed as Car Free Day in Beijing, Shanghai and 105 other cities in China, along with several other cities across the world? European nations have been doing their bit to curb pollution levels by hosting Car Free Days in their cities. City-based environmentalists wonder when Mumbai will do its bit.

Though a unique idea for Mumbai, being ‘car free’ is a concept familiar to most people the world over. China observed its first Car Free Day this year, in a gesture as hosts of the 2008 Olympics.

“The world over, people observe several special days - Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to name a few.

Why can Mumbai not have a Car Free Day, unburdening the city of traffic congestion and pollution? Even commuters will have at least a day’s respite from potholed roads,” said Sunjoy Monga, a naturalist.

“It would be great if the day was to meet the kind of success the city’s autorickshaw or taxi strikes have. Such a day could also lead to an increase in the sales of bicycles.”

“We try and ape other cities. Can we not imitate them when it comes to creating a sense of responsibility and consciousness about the threat posed by the growing number of cars on city roads?” asked Ashok Datar, a transport analyst.

He said that certain South American countries observe a few ‘car free’ hours every Sunday, thus giving people the opportunity to cycle or enjoy a leisurely walk. Datar said that such practices strengthened the focus on improving pedestrian comforts.

Datar said that with eight cars per thousand people in India as against 300 to 600 cars per thousand people in economically developed countries, the ownership rate of cars in the country was much lower. However, with income levels rising, car sales are also growing at over 20 per cent per annum.

“We already have more cars per kilometre of road than any other city in the world. We are nowhere close to tackling the problem,” he said. Civil engineer and transport analyst Sudhir Badami said observing a ‘car free’ Saturday or Sunday once a year should not be difficult.

“We are used to seeing empty roads on days of a bandh.” He said that though a move like this could help in decongesting roads and reducing pollution, it was difficult to predict whether car owners will be ready to accept it.