Every day is a good day to ditch your car and do everything by bike, but today is World Car Free Day. Do you have any plans or is your city making special provisions to promote it?

World Car Free Day—celebrated each year on September 22—invites cities and commuters to imagine streets with fewer cars and more space for people. Some places, like Jakarta and Tehran, run weekly car-free days, while others stage one big annual event by closing down a street or area, or activating pop-up bike lanes and public-spaces. The idea dates back to the 1970s and gained momentum in the 1990s; today, Bogotá hosts the world’s largest weekly car-free initiative citywide during their Ciclovia, first held in 2000 and later formalized by public referendum. The common goal across locations is the same: cleaner air, calmer streets, and a glimpse of more livable, pleasant urban life.

Virginia and I will be joining a mass ride here in Ciudad de Oaxaca this evening. This isn’t a government-initiated event, but one organized by a grassroots group of riders who want promote cycling in a very bikeable city. Do you have any particular plans or is your city/town promoting this day? Let us know in the conversation below.

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