11.08.2004 Fifth annual Car Free Day encourages exercising your way to work

Fifth annual Car Free Day encourages exercising your way to work.
International Car Free Day is being organised in Finland for the fifth time on Wednesday, September 22nd. The objective of the day is to encourage Finns to think about their transportation and the affects of their choice on the environment and to their own health. The Car Free Day is preceded by Mobility Week beginning on Thursday 16th September. The themes of the week support the development of sustainable, moving and conscious choices of transportation.

Towards a more enjoyable and healthy city
In many European cities, the old town centre has been converted into pedestrian only areas. Here, on Car Fee Day, many city dwellers can get a sense of the joys of pedestrianised streets. A car-free centre doesn’t only mean removing cars from the present day centre, there should be different pastime activities in the centre and it should function for public transport and light traffic, such as bicycles.

An ideal city is one where people enjoy staying. Many people suffer from the increasing noise, poor air quality and traffic jams. Today, almost 40 % of carbon dioxide emissions from transportation are caused by privately owned cars. The environmental and health benefits of choosing public transport cannot be denied. A more efficient and cleaner transport system would decrease air and noise pollution. By decreasing private transport, we could create a better environment for everybody.

Last year’s Car Free Day was celebrated in 19 towns across Finland, while over a thousand towns and cities celebrated it internationally. The Mobility Week that preceded it was celebrated in almost 300 places.
Car Free Day is planned and organised by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, towns, communities, organisations and enterprises. Mobility Week events are planned by the previous two Ministries, plus the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
For more information:
Senior Information Officer Ms. Eine Rossi, Ministry of Transport and Communications, tel. (09) 1602 8331 e-mail eine.rossi@mintc.fi

Information Officer, Environmental Protection, Mr. Mauri Vieru, Ministry of the Environment, tel. (09) 1603 9444 e-mail mauri.vieru@ymparisto.fi