London to have ‘car-free day’ in September

In a bid to highlight the ongoing problem of pollution from vehicles, London is to stage its biggest car-free day yet on 22 September. The Sunday date has been timed to coincide with World Car Free Day, which encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day. This type of activity is increasingly popular in cities worldwide – with Bogota, Colombia, and Jakarta, Indonesia, among the early adopters – as authorities wake up to the health impacts. More than half of air pollution in the UK capital is ca
June 21, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

In a bid to highlight the ongoing problem of pollution from vehicles, London is to stage its biggest car-free day yet on 22 September.

The Sunday date has been timed to coincide with World Car Free Day, which encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day. This type of activity is increasingly popular in cities worldwide – with Bogota, Colombia, and Jakarta, Indonesia, among the early adopters – as authorities wake up to the health impacts.

More than half of air pollution in the UK capital is caused by vehicles, and is thought to be responsible for 9,000 early deaths each year.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said 12.3 miles of roads will be closed in the centre of the city.

“I encourage as many Londoners as possible to join in the fun and see the city from a different perspective,” Khan said.

A variety of events will be held promoting alternative modes, such as public transit, cycling and walking. Charity London Play is using funding from 1466 Transport for London to make 200 streets “open for play - and closed to traffic” on the day.

Related Content

  • December 21, 2015
    London’s Santander cycles to be fitted with cyclist safety lights
    After a successful trial, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, Transport for London (TfL), and Santander UK have announced that all 11,500 Santander Cycles will be fitted with Blaze Laserlights over time from early 2016. The project is largely funded by Santander UK as part of the partnership with TfL. The Blaze Laserlight projects the symbol of a bicycle shape six metres in front of the cycle, onto the ground, giving the cyclist a larger footprint on the road. This makes their presence known, alerts driv
    Read More
  • August 8, 2017
    Website tracks health effects of walking and cycling
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a new online biking and walking benchmark report that allows transportation practitioners to compare communities and track progress. Transportation and public health are inextricably linked. The more people are encouraged to opt out of single occupancy vehicles, the healthier the overall community becomes. Sure, fewer pollutants are released into the air and commuters spend less time in traffic, but it’s the push to get people to ditch fully motorised transportation options a
    Read More
  • December 14, 2012
    Road user charging potential solution to transportation problems
    A number of new and highly significant open road tolling schemes have just been launched or are soon to ‘go live’. Systems of road user charging are flexing their muscles as the means to solve politically sensitive transportation problems, reports Jon Masters. Gothenburg, January 2013, will be the time and place for the launch of the next city congestion charging scheme in Europe. In a separate development, Los Angeles County’s tolled Metro ExpressLanes began operating in November 2012 – the latest in a ser
    Read More
  • August 6, 2013
    Assembly urges full speed ahead on new ultra-low emissions zone
    The London Assembly has written to the Mayor Boris Johnson to urge him to look at bringing in a ultra-low emission zone for central London sooner than 2020 and not to restrict plans to new vehicles only. In February this year the Mayor said he wanted to make almost all vehicles driving in central London during working hours zero or low emission by 2020 and asked Transport for London (TfL) to prepare plans for a new ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ). The London Assembly Environment Committee has now written to
    Read More

Highlighted Content