An initiative in Ethiopia calls for cities across the country to hold a ‘Car Free Day’. From Addis Ababa to Jigiga, 7 cities celebrated the enterprise of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health on January 13. Its goal is to improve the health and environmental conditions of the citizens.
The Car Free Day essentially asks for everyone to give up their motor vehicles for an entire day. Instead, they can use their bicycles or simply walk to get to their destinations. There are also various exercise programs hosted by local government units to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
With the streets free of traffic, skateboarders are given the opportunity to use the space as they want:
And football players were able to use the roads for their games:
(WOW: Check out traffic-less Manila during recent break!)
While International Car Free Day is held annually on September 22, there are only a number of cities whose governments really enforce it. This is also one of the first times it was strictly observed in Africa. It was especially important for Ethiopia’s city-dwellers as they reportedly do not get to exercise as much.
Is this something we should try to do in the Philippines as well?
Photo Source: Eduardo Soteras, AFP
