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Cycle rally in Kandivli&Powai Mumbai, India to celebrate Carfree day!

Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that citizens don't have to accept a car-dominated society. Over 100 citizens participated in the first ever Carfree day celebrations in the city organized by the Young Environmentalists programme trust a registered NGO, which saw a cycle rally flagged off at Rodas Ecotel, Hiranandani Gardens Powai. Carfree Day is the practice to be aware of our consumption of energy and to take mindful actions to reduce our energy use. Same day over 300 joined us in the morning at Kandivili and it was a roaring success. Young Environmentalists Students of the Children's Academy even invited the traffic police on the carfree day!

Amazing that the innovative movement had got an amazing response for it’s first year, elaborated Elsie Gabriel founder Young Environmentalists who directed the campaigne, “ The cycle rally involved youth and residents from even outside of the Hiranandani gardens Powai to create awareness that we can help stop the traffic jams and cause less pollution by obeying the traffic guidelines!” Elsie added, “We are doing this as a symbolic gesture and do not expect cars to disappear from roads in our first year but hope this will be a beginning of options like car pool, public transport and non motorized transport here in Mumbai. It is up to us and our governments to help create permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do not drive cars. Let World Carfree Day be a showcase for us to sacrifice just one day so that there is no car emission or pollution.”

Also present to educate the citizens was Traffic policeman Somen Kakar of the Powai zone, who humorously shared his teachings, “We are glad to see people support the traffic police and our set of rules which has always emphasized on maintenance of cars, regular change of engine oil, P.U.C’s and switching off of engine at signals to avoid vehicular pollution. Sacrifice your car for one day or just few hours; give yourself the cycle exercise or simple give your car a rest!”

Hopefully the civic administration will also make required provisions of footpaths and cycle tracks in the road development work undertaken in the near future, thus respecting the pedestrians and people who maybe want to cycle in the future!

Elsie Gabriel,Young Environmentalists Programme Trust

This page was last updated 2 November 2009