Is Car-Free Day a Global Event?

Car-Free Day (World Car-Free City Day) is not an application unique to Belgium, but a global event implemented annually on September 22 in hundreds of cities worldwide.

Considered the peak of European Mobility Week (September 16-22), on this day, many countries close their streets to motorized vehicle traffic, opening them to pedestrians and cyclists. The reason why Belgium (especially Brussels) is so well-known globally in this regard is its implementation of the event with very strict rules and a massive organization, encompassing the entire city.

Examples from Different Geographies:

Bogotá (Colombia): A pioneer of the global movement; it implements a very large-scale car-free day application every Sunday under the name “Ciclovía“.
European Metropolises: Cities like Paris and London dedicate a large part of their central districts or historical neighborhoods solely to pedestrians and cyclists around September 22.
Turkey: Many municipalities participating in European Mobility Week organize events by symbolically closing certain streets and squares to traffic throughout the week or on September 22.

Is a Single Street Closed to Traffic?

The size of the closed area varies according to the city organizing the event; a single street can be closed, or an entire city.

Completely Closed Areas:

In Brussels, not just one street, but the entire Capital Region (approximately 160 square kilometers), comprising 19 municipalities, is closed to traffic.

Areas Closing Large Regions:

In Paris, a large part of the city center, and in Bogotá, an interconnected network of more than 120 kilometers of main streets and highways are completely closed to traffic.

Symbolically Implemented Areas:

Many local governments, especially in some cities in Turkey, close only a single main street or a restricted historical area for a few hours to symbolically celebrate the event.

When Did This Movement Begin?

Although the idea of car-free cities dates back to the oil crises of the 1970s, the organized “Car-Free Day” movement practiced today took shape in the mid-1990s.

First Temporary Applications – 1973

Due to the oil embargo, countries like Netherlands and Switzerland temporarily banned the use of motorized vehicles on Sundays to save fuel.

Global Call – 1994

Transportation expert Eric Britton presented the idea of “Car-Free Days” as an urban planning strategy at an international conference held in Toledo, Spain.

First National Campaign – 1997

France launched its first official nationwide campaign under the name “A Day Without My Car in the City” (En ville sans ma voiture).

Expansion to European Level – 2000

The European Commission extended this initiative across the entire European Union. In the same year, Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, launched a city-wide car-free day application to be repeated annually, through a public vote.

This initiative was expanded in 2002 and transformed into “European Mobility Week“, celebrated annually between September 16-22.

Relationship with Urban Planning

From the mid-20th century onwards, cities began to be built car-centric rather than human-centric. While multi-lane streets, intersections, and parking lots narrowed urban living spaces; traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution became chronic urban problems.

Car-Free Day is a fundamental tool for urban planners for the following reasons:

Field Test and Simulation: Closing a city’s roads to traffic provides an opportunity to test public transportation capacity, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian flow in real-time.
Transformation of Public Space: It allows direct observation of how asphalt areas normally reserved for automobiles can be integrated into social, cultural, and economic life when pedestrianized.
Sustainable Transportation Strategy: It helps measure public perception for transitioning to modern urban planning models such as the 15-minute city concept (reaching needs by walking or cycling within 15 minutes).

Reasons for France’s Pioneering Role

Behind France’s national pioneering role in this movement in 1997 lie environmental crises, local government experiences, and state policy:

Air Pollution Crises: In the mid-1990s, micro-particle (PM10) and ozone pollution linked to exhaust emissions reached dangerous levels in Paris and surrounding metropolises. This created direct pressure on the government to take environmental measures.
La Rochelle Experiment: The city of La Rochelle in France had already served as a national laboratory in the field of micro-mobility since the 1970s, with its urban free-sharing bicycle systems and electric vehicle trials.
National Environmental Policy: In 1997, the French Ministry of Environment, combining the local experiences of La Rochelle and similar places, launched an official campaign named “En ville sans ma voiture” (Without My Car in the City). In its initial implementation, 35 French cities simultaneously closed their centers to vehicle traffic. The positive public reaction that ensued led the European Commission to adopt this model across the entire EU in 2000.

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