This city bans cars every Sunday—and people love it

[nathrix]

Bogotá, ColombiaIt’s like falling in love all over again; every Sunday without fail, and holidays too, the inhabitants of the car-choked, noise-filled, stressed-out city of Bogotá, 8,660 feet up in the thin air of the Andes, get to feel that the city belongs to them, and not to the 1,600,000 suicidal private cars, 50,000 homicidal taxis, nine thousand gasping buses, and some half-million demented motorcycles that otherwise pack into the buzzing capital of Colombia.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/bogota-colombia-ciclovia-bans-cars-on-roads-each-sunday/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=sunstills_20190407::rid=15277349

[DieselnDust]

Bogotá, ColombiaIt’s like falling in love all over again; every Sunday without fail, and holidays too, the inhabitants of the car-choked, noise-filled, stressed-out city of Bogotá, 8,660 feet up in the thin air of the Andes, get to feel that the city belongs to them, and not to the 1,600,000 suicidal private cars, 50,000 homicidal taxis, nine thousand gasping buses, and some half-million demented motorcycles that otherwise pack into the buzzing capital of Colombia.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/bogota-colombia-ciclovia-bans-cars-on-roads-each-sunday/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=sunstills_20190407::rid=15277349

 

 

Now Imagine a car free Atlantic Seaboard (Cape Town) One Sunday a month.....

 

 

 

On 2nd thoughts the CTCT may see a bigger drop in entries

[Markellis]

Rwanda does something similar, last Saturday of each month residents by law have to clean their immediate neighbourhood and vehicle's are prohibited from driving into city center until midday. The city center gets full of cyclists, walkers, runners even skateboarers and rollerblading. It's fantastic to see

Edited April 8, 2019 by Markellis

[dave303e]

great until you slip in the garage and cut your finger off with a table saw and need to drive to the doctor quick.

 

Or great when you now have to cycle your 80 year old gran to church.

 

Better for those who work 6 days a week and now have to do their monthly shop without a car on a Sunday- their only free day.

 

Awesome for the Dairy who has to deliver milk or the fresh produce guys or the restaurants wanting to receive orders.

[DieselnDust]

great until you slip in the garage and cut your finger off with a table saw and need to drive to the doctor quick.

 

Or great when you now have to cycle your 80 year old gran to church.

 

Better for those who work 6 days a week and now have to do their monthly shop without a car on a Sunday- their only free day.

 

Awesome for the Dairy who has to deliver milk or the fresh produce guys or the restaurants wanting to receive orders.

 

 

 

 

there's always a thorn among the roses

[fanievb]

great until you slip in the garage and cut your finger off with a table saw and need to drive to the doctor quick.

 

Or great when you now have to cycle your 80 year old gran to church.

 

Better for those who work 6 days a week and now have to do their monthly shop without a car on a Sunday- their only free day.

 

Awesome for the Dairy who has to deliver milk or the fresh produce guys or the restaurants wanting to receive orders.

 

 

fokkit het iemand suur melk oor jou corn flakes gegooi?

 

 

[m-squared]

Someone hasn't had their Monday morning coffee yet

[Pure Savage]

great until you slip in the garage and cut your finger off with a table saw and need to drive to the doctor quick.

 

Or great when you now have to cycle your 80 year old gran to church.

 

Better for those who work 6 days a week and now have to do their monthly shop without a car on a Sunday- their only free day.

 

Awesome for the Dairy who has to deliver milk or the fresh produce guys or the restaurants wanting to receive orders.

People will find a way. 

 

Cars are not always the solution. 

[DJR]

Cape Town does something like that on a fairly regular basis. I actually enjoyed the very friendly vibe between pedestrians, cyclists, artists doing chalk art in the road, buskers, hawkers, businesses and bergies on two of those occasions. 

 

https://openstreets.org.za/tags/carfree

[100Tours]

great until you slip in the garage and cut your finger off with a table saw and need to drive to the doctor quick.

 

Or great when you now have to cycle your 80 year old gran to church.

 

Better for those who work 6 days a week and now have to do their monthly shop without a car on a Sunday- their only free day.

 

Awesome for the Dairy who has to deliver milk or the fresh produce guys or the restaurants wanting to receive orders.

 

they close 75km worth of roads. Maybe 0.2% of the network for a city like Bogota. Good point.

[Pure Savage]

they close 75km worth of roads. Maybe 0.2% of the network for a city like Bogota. Good point.

Realistically they could close Beach road over the weekend from Waterfront to Bantry Bay without upsetting anybody. 

[DJR]

Realistically they could close Beach road over the weekend from Waterfront to Bantry Bay without upsetting anybody. 

Knowing Capies, there will be rabid complaints by the truckload, a breakaway new little political party will be formed and a couple of lawsuits filed, maybe even a little exchange of pepper spray between a motorist and a cyclist as well as an outcry over why the road could not be used for low cost housing in stead of opening it to all kind of eletist evil. 

[dave303e]

Must say I was grumpy AF yesterday and the beginning of the article really did tick me off. I read the first 2 paragraphs and commented(probably not the best life decision I will admit). Went back and read the article again last night fully.

 

My 2c with a less Monday morning mood.

 

The author is rather sensationalistic- the city doesn't ban cars, the city dedicates a small portion of roads to non powered vehicles for Sunday mornings... If you went to the general public and said we are going to ban cars on Sunday the kickback would be big. If you went and said we are going to create a dedicated non vehicle loop through the city on Sunday mornings with controlled access and crossing points you may sell it. But to sell magazines and generate clicks they went the rather clickbait route- fair enough I guess they need to make dollar.

 

Also still think a dedicated cycling track(not a cycle lane on a road) is a simple solution and would be incredibly popular. Google Al Qudra cycle track Dubai. Then picture it going through farmlands and small game farms(obviously without lions etc) just outside jhb. The issue with cycle lanes on roads is there is still car interaction so a dedicated loop you only have other cyclists to be irritated by.

[CAAD4]

Deliver with EBikes...

[DJR]

https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-going-car-free-ban-2017-8?IR=T#new-york-city-is-decreasing-car-traffic-in-small-doses-13

 

Many cities all over the world have done it or are in the process to get cars out of their congested polluted people unfriendly centres. Madrid already has. Try driving a car into the historic centre of Florence ........ One city shows how it feels without a single car, even without bicycles - Venice (yes, I know that's different) Cities are better without cars!

Edited April 9, 2019 by DJR

[Eldron]

I like the concept. Intercity journeys should be uncontrolled train/car/truck/whatever but inner city journeys should be pollutant and congestion free so bikes/ebikes and some public transport. Over here in Denmark there are tons of "walking streets" where cars are permanently banned and all one way streets still have bicycle lanes on both sides for two way bicycles traffic.