Carless Sundays

Metro Manila is not a pedestrian-friendly city.

Jeepneys, buses, trucks, cars, tricycles and recently motorcycles swirl uncontrollably through the streets with no regard for lanes or signals. Pedestrians risk their lives as drivers often disregard pedestrian lanes—all these amid the blowing of horns and smoke belching of poorly maintained engines.

Compared to our Asian neighbors, like Singapore or Malaysia, most of our streets are very poorly designed and give more priority to vehicles rather than pedestrians. This probably accounts for the high rate of accidents on the road.

According to the Road Safety Program of the Philippines, 36 percent of our total population is below 15 years old. They are the most vulnerable to road accidents.  Pedestrians and then motorcyclists are the road users most at risk. And to think that motorcycles increase by 40 percent yearly. The cost to society of traffic accidents is reported to be about one percent of GDP.

It’s not surprising then that malls are very popular destinations in Metro Manila. Inside the climate-controlled malls, people can sit around, socialize, get entertained and do so many things without being run over by vehicles.

Pedestrians are fighting back, with a claim on the city streets, and cars do not rule especially because they cause pollution.

Reducing car dependence

In 1994 the Accessible Cities Conference in Spain sparked a movement in many countries worldwide aimed at reducing car dependence. It included Iceland, Britain, France and eventually a Europe-wide initiative by the European Commission. Soon it spread to other countries like Brazil, Canada, Japan and Taiwan.

According to the Washington Post, the event, called World Car-free Days, “promotes improvement of mass transit, cycling and walking and the development of communities where jobs are closer to home and where shopping is within walking distance.”

Today, Bogotá, Colombia holds the world’s largest car-free weekday event for the entire city. It began closing off streets every Sunday in 1976. Today, more than 70 miles of streets in Bogotá are closed every Sunday and 1.5-million people take over the streets riding bicycles, strolling, jogging and skateboarding.

Jakarta car-free day

In 2007 Jakarta held its car-free day which closed the main avenue of the city and allowed pedestrians to use the streets normally full of cars and traffic. Since May 2012 Jakarta has been observing car-free day every Sunday.

In Naples, Italy, all vehicles were removed from the oceanfront boulevard—making it possible for its citizens to hear the sea once again, not just the sound of cars. Today the people can walk, bike, skateboard and socialize in the area.

Pasig City, together with civil society groups, launched a few months ago, the weekly bike day, health day and carless Sundays. The program aims to restore family bonding, friendship and a sense of community while connecting with Mother Nature. Let’s hope that other cities in Metro Manila and throughout the country would follow the example of Pasig City.

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