Cars stopped on Sunday to fight the energy crisis

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has made the European Union’s heavy reliance on fossil fuelsleading to the need to find alternative energy sources after the rise of Prices. One of the possible ways to savings is that of reducing consumption and is becoming popular in Northern Europe car-free day.

A study commissioned by the European Network for Zero-Emission Urban Mobility, the Clean Cities Campaignshowed how the initiative, which became popular in the 1950s, is a very fast method of reduce oil consumption short-term. This encourages citizens to move on foot, by bicycle or by public transport.

According to an estimate from this research, a car-free day in the largest European cities would make it possible save money between 534 and 932 thousand barrels of oil and reducing air pollution.

If it was going to be an event weekly oil consumption for urban transport in Europe and the UK could be reduced by about 3-5%, which would have a good if not better effect than working from home three days a week. The first event took place in Brussels on September 18, reducing the amount of harmful particles in the atmosphere to 90%.

Car-free days are an effective first step to respond to the ongoing energy crisis. At the same time, however, governments and local authorities can and should make an effort to provide a real alternative to traveling by car, by providing space and security for those who want to travel by bike and on foot in the city, thus enabling a more effective, more frequent and widespread public transport system, shared mobility systems.

Anna Gerometta, President of Cittadini per aria