1 2 Pune: Every year, World Car-Free Day , celebrated on Sept 22, encourages motorists to leave their cars behind to highlight the benefits of reducing car usage — lesser air pollution and a safer environment to walk and cycle. It offers a glimpse of what cities could look and feel like without cars year-round. Urban trends, however, are heading in the opposite direction.
The number of private vehicles, including twowheelers, is rapidly increasing as these have become more affordable. People prefer personal vehicles for the flexibility and comfort, but the rise in vehicle use leads to congestion because road space cannot keep up with the growth rate of vehicles. Increased usage of vehicles also contributes significantly to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Two-wheelers, though convenient, are particularly unsafe. In 2022, as many as 7,376 riders died in road crashes, and more than 35,000 people were injured in large cities. Administrations often attempt to solve the problem by building more roads, flyovers and parking spaces.
However, the approach has significant downsides. Firstly, constructing new infrastructure is costly and diverts funds from essential civic services. Secondly, more roads and parking spaces fail to ease congestion in the long term, as they encourage more people to drive, resulting in the same traffic problems.
Additionally, prioritising cars transforms cities, making them less green, unhealthy and unsafe, especially for vulnerable groups like .