On car-free days, people are encouraged by government rules or by agreement among people to travel without using cars. Some cities, such as Jakarta and Tehran, have weekly car-free days. Other car-free days happen once a year. World Car Free Day is celebrated on September 22. Some cities and countries hold special events on this day. In Israel, the holiday Yom Kippur is considered a car-free day because of agreement among people, even though there is no official rule about it.

These events, which differ depending on the location, help drivers and commuters see their city with fewer cars. The idea began in the 1970s but became more widely known in the 1990s. Tel Aviv has had a car-free day linked to Yom Kippur since 1935.

Today, Bogotá holds the world's largest car-free weekday event, which includes the whole city. The first car-free day in Bogotá took place in February 2000 and was made official through a public vote.

History and timeline

Projects similar to car-free days happened from time to time before 1994, especially after the 1973 oil crisis. However, in October 1994, Eric Britton gave an important speech at the International Ciudades Accessibles (Accessible Cities) Conference in Toledo, Spain, calling for organized car-free events.

Within two years, the first car-free days were held in Reykjavík, Iceland; Bath, United Kingdom; and La Rochelle, France. In 1995, an informal group called the World Car Free Days Consortium was formed to support these events globally. The first national campaign in Britain was started by the Environmental Transport Association in 1997. France followed in 1998 with a campaign called "In town, without my car!" and the European Commission later made this a Europe-wide initiative in 2000. That same year, the program expanded into a full European Mobility Week, with car-free days as part of this larger effort.

In 1996, a Dutch group called Pippi Autoloze Zondag began a national campaign for car-free days. They organized monthly protests where they blocked streets and held events like parties, picnics, and street painting. Police often ended these events and made arrests. Pippi later created a national group to push for car-free days, lobbying all members of the Dutch parliament. Their efforts led to major cities in the Netherlands considering car-free days and eventually implementing them.

The Environmental Transport Association first set the annual Car-Free Day on the first Tuesday of their Green Transport Week, around June 17. In 2000, it was decided to hold Car-Free Day on September 22 as a separate event organized by the European Commission. This day encourages cities worldwide to close their centers to cars, promoting walking, biking, and public transit. People are invited to imagine how their cities could look with fewer cars and to think about ways to make this happen. Advocates say over 100 million people in 1,500 cities celebrate International Car-Free Day, though they choose their own dates and ways to participate.

In 2000, the World Carfree Day program was launched by Carbusters, now known as the World Carfree Network. The same year, the Earth Car Free Day program was started by the Earth Day Network and the World Car Free Days collaborative.

Other important events include:
– 1935: Tel Aviv, Israel, held a car-free day on Yom Kippur, a holy day.
– November 25, 1956–January 20, 1957: The Netherlands and Belgium had car-free Sundays due to the Suez crisis.
– 1958: In New York City, neighbors blocked a plan to expand Fifth Avenue, protecting Washington Square Park.
– 1961: Jane Jacobs, a leader in the 1958 protest, wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities, sparking discussions about car use in cities.
– October 1968: Groningen, Netherlands, created the first neighborhood Woonerf, a street designed for people, not cars.
– 1972: Delft, Netherlands, opened its first official Woonerf.
– 1973: In France, the OECD and EcoPlan held a meeting to discuss car restraint and alternative transportation in developing countries.
– 1973–1974: Denmark had car-free Sundays due to the oil crisis.
– 1974: Switzerland held four car-free Sundays during the oil crisis.
– 1981: East Germany held its first car-free day.
– 1988: Paris started the "Cities without Cars?" program, which later became the New Mobility Agenda.
– 1991: New York City hosted the first International Conference on Auto-Free Cities.
– 1992: Toronto and San Francisco held conferences on car-free cities, and San Francisco started the Critical Mass group, which organizes street protests.
– 1992: Paris launched the @ccess Forum, where car-free day ideas were discussed online.
– 1992: Ottawa, Canada, began the Auto-Free Ottawa Newsletter.
– 1994: Amsterdam started the Car-Free Cities Network.
– October 14, 1994: At the Ciudades Accesibles Congress in Toledo, Spain, a proposal for international car-free collaboration was presented.
– May 8, 1996: The Copenhagen Declaration was issued by European government groups.
– June 17, 1996: Reykjavík, Iceland, held its first car-free day.
– June 11, 1996: Bath, United Kingdom, held its first British car-free day.
– June 17, 1997: Weybridge, United Kingdom, hosted the world’s first national car-free day.
– September 9, 1997: La Rochelle, France, held its first real car-free day.
– October 21, 1997: Paris proposed a car-free day to the French Ministry of the Environment.
– November 1997: Lyon, France, hosted the "Towards Carfree Cities I" conference.
– Winter 1997: Amsterdam published the first issue of Carfree Times.
– Winter 1997: Paris launched the @World Carfree Day Consortium, an online group supporting car-free days.
– June 21, 1998: Germany held its first nationwide Car Free Mobility Day.
– September 22, 1998:

Regional car-free days

• "In town, without my car!" is an EU campaign.
• In Israel, during Yom Kippur, Jewish communities agree to have a car-free day. On Saturdays, religious Jews avoid using cars unless there is an emergency.
• Car-free days are also held in many U.S. cities, such as Portland, Oregon, and in Japan.
• British Columbia hosts several Car Free Days organized by local groups, including events in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Victoria.
• Since September 22, 2007, Jakarta has held Car Free Day regularly, three times a year. Starting in 2012, the event became weekly, taking place every Sunday morning along Sudirman and Thamrin avenues.
• At Bangkok’s World Car-Free Day celebration on September 22, 2018, Deputy Governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul arrived in his official car, as did his team. He then rode a bicycle for a ceremonial event. Before the celebration, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced free parking spaces for cars to encourage bicycle use during the parade.
• Bogotá has held car-free days since February 24, 2000. This event aims to help protect the environment and encourage reflection on public transportation use.
• China has an irregular event called No Car Day.
• In the Philippines, several cities and private developments hold car-free days. On Sundays, roads are closed for specific hours to promote walking, exercise, and other activities.

Car Free Day Call

The 1994 Car Free Day Call presented a challenge to a city, neighborhood, or group:

• To plan and spend one day without using cars.
• To closely watch and record what happens during that day.
• To share the findings publicly and discuss how to use these lessons to create better ways to move around cities with fewer cars.

The event viewed car users as people who needed help to change their habits. Organizers believed this meant drivers should not have the option to use cars for a time. In this case, the challenge was to answer three questions:

• Can drivers be encouraged to leave their cars in one or more cities…
• In ways that respect the rights and differences of people in a society with many perspectives…
• For a long enough time to show how cities can successfully reduce car use and improve transportation?

Impact

According to The Washington Post, the event "helps improve public transportation, cycling, and walking, and supports the creation of communities where jobs are near homes and shopping is easily accessible by foot." Studies show that for short trips in cities, people can reach their destinations faster by bicycle than by car.

Related concepts

Every year, traffic in Israel stops (except for emergency vehicles) for more than 24 hours to honor Yom Kippur. This includes all motorized vehicles, such as cars, buses, trains, taxis, and airplanes. During this time, roads (except in religious areas) are used as bike paths and walking areas by people who enjoy cycling, especially those from the Hiloni group and other religious communities. On this day, air pollution in Israel, measured by nitrogen oxides, decreases by 99 percent. Before the 1930s, vehicles were still used on Yom Kippur. In the 1950s and 1960s, some Jewish people drove on Yom Kippur, but after the Yom Kippur war, all Jewish groups stopped using cars on this day. Reports first appeared in 1979 showing that Israelis used the day to ride bicycles. The decision not to use vehicles is a common agreement among Jewish people and is not required by any law.