Car-Free Day in Tbilisi
September 22 is World Car Free Day, where people who usually drive are encouraged to give up their cars for a day. The day was established by the British organization Environmental Transport Association in the mid-1990s, and the official date was set in 2000 as an initiative of the European Commission.
This year, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze participated in the day’s festivities, including a community bike marathon. At the event, Kaladze spoke to participants, discussing the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and noting that City Hall is working to implement policies that increase and protect Tbilisi’s green space, expand and improve public transportation options, and encourage fewer people to drive private cars.
“Many people move around Tbilisi by car. A healthy lifestyle is not very popular with us, but today's action is an important step in that direction. So many young people came out today, and we were riding bicycles together...When [City Hall develops] infrastructure projects, we look for places to include bicycle infrastructure. The Kostava-Shartava streets project is a clear example of this. A bike lane is completed, which will be connected to Pekini Avenue, creating one unified route,” said Kaladze.
The Mayor also expressed hope that environmentalism and awareness of environmental issues will continue to grow in Tbilisi, and that more people will join Car Free Day next year.
He said, “We will do our best to walk more, and have more people on foot and on public transport, and we will have more green spaces in the city. We must slowly draw attention to the ‘killing’ cars that are outdated and damage the city environmentally, along with the health of each of us and our children.”
The national organization Alliance for Safe Roads observed the day, along with the United Nations in Georgia – partners in establishing the “Clean Air” campaign, which works to bring awareness to the health effects of breathing polluted air.
“The main message is that [we need] fewer cars in the city and more people using public transport and bikes and walking often,” said Eka Laliashvili, Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for Safe Roads.
“We hope that in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities, this trend will soon be established. Today's event brought together citizens, the Mayor of the capital, EU and UN ambassadors – it confirmed that we all support moving in this direction.”
Mamuka Mumladze, head of the Municipal Transport Department, Davit Kirkitadze, Mtatsminda District Governor, and Shalva Ogbaidze, a member of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Assembly), also participated in the event. Many countries around the world observe Car-Free Day. The largest event is in Bogota, Colombia, where the day has been institutionalized through a public referendum, and the municipal government closes the major streets to traffic all day. There are also large events in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Columbia.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, every Sunday is reserved as a car-free day.
In Tbilisi, the day was held within the framework of European Mobility Week. It included a bicycle marathon from Vake Park to Republic Square, organized by the East-West Management Institute with the support of the Civil Society Development and Citizens Involvement Project (ACCESS) and USAID. It was co-organized by local non-governmental organizations New Society and Ecology.
By Samantha Guthrie
Image source: Tbilisi City Hall