When London will join other global cities to celebrate World Car Free Day, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is encouraging people in the city to ditch their cars by walking or cycling. The annual event will take place on the 22nd of September and seeks to educate the public on air pollution and foster use of better transport solutions within the busy city. Despite air quality still being an issue of major importance in the capital, local authorities expect that the measures are going to make Londoners think about the ecological friendliness of their means of transport.

The office of the mayor has revealeted that it has embarked on a calendar of activities and events to commemorate Car Free Day. The mayor of London says that several key arteries through central London will be closed to through traffic, making areas accessible to walkers and cyclists. There are plans for turning typically traffic congested areas into fun public domains for the day through events such as pop up parks, street theatre, and rallying.

Together with road closures, Transport for London is encouraging people to use buses and trams, providing free travel throughout the day. Cycle hire schemes will also be offering free half hour’s cycling, in attempt to persuade more individuals to switch from driving a car.

While the environmental organisations have welcomed the move, there is growing concern on air pollution in London. Current research has indicated that polluted air leads to great numbers of deaths within the city annually, and vehicle pollution is a chief cause. In this vein, there are number of positive outcomes arising from the Car Free Day initiative because as clients of this service readily observe, members of London can play an active role in combating negative emissions by sampling a car-free city for one day.

However, the event has not been without controversy with a section of the business people fearing it might disruptive caused to their businesses. As a result, the mayor’s office has been in consultation with the commercial activities to minimize its effects and has focused on the positives such as increased shoppers’ traffic within the precincts of the pedestrianized zones.

The call for a car free day will come after the Region continues to embrace a number of strategies that will enhance the air quality and get rid of carbon emissions. The extension introduced in October of this year to cover all the London boroughs has been a step in this regard though a very much debated one. ULEZ levies a daily charge on all vehicles registering high levels of emissions within the zone to make those drivers with old and pollutive cars change their vehicles or choose other means of transport.

In an increasingly environmentally-conscious world, movements such as Car Free Day are useful in helping the city envision the changes required to maximise the quality of life in the city in the future. One day without cars may not solve the air pollution problem in the city but at least it offers a chance to the people of a city to see and experience the existence of another sustainable urban world.

The positive outcome that the Car Free Day may mean that there will be possibility for follow-up policies and or/urban planning into the furutre in London. I believe that city officials will be observing the effect that this event shall have on air quality, traffic flow and people’s attitude towards this event. The obtained data could be used to devise measures that would help make these areas virtually car-free or broaden pedestrian spaces in the city.

This car-free challenge is undertaken as London gears up for it with locals urged to start thinking about how the’ll get around without a car. Whether it is by walking or cycling, using a bicycle or public transport, the participants are able to make London a cleaner and healthier city while possibly learning new ways of getting around a city.