Cyclists take to the streets en masse for Car-Free Day
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MANY parts of Thailand observed the Car-Free Day yesterday, with cyclists making their presence felt in Bangkok, Songkhla, Rayong and other parts of the country.
In the capital, a cycling event organised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and partners attracted more than 30,000 participants.
“We hope people will cut down on the use of private cars. We wish to encourage Bangkok residents to consider other means of transport,” Bangkok Governor MR Subhumbhand Paribatra said at the launch of Bangkok Car-Free Day 2015.
During the event, more than 30,000 people cycled an eight-kilometre stretch from the starting point at Sanam Luang.
Some of the participants said they had joined this annual event in Bangkok many times before.
“I have also cycled to my office,” one participant said.
Some other cyclists, however, said they probably could not use their bicycles as their primary means of transport in daily life.
“I think cycling is good for health and the environment. But it’s not practical on weekdays,” one of the participants said.
In Songkhla, the Nation Multimedia Group (NMG) yesterday co-organised two big cycling events: Nation Bike Thailand 2015 – Songkhla Car-Free Day and “Hat Yai Car Free Day: Admire the City, Visit Temples and Explore Nature”.
The first event was held in collaboration with Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organ-isation, and the other with the Hat Yai City Municipality.
More than 1,200 people registered to participate in the “Nation Bike Thailand 2015 – Songkhla Car-Free Day” event, which required participants to ride a 38-kilometre stretch, much of which was televised.
The “Hat Yai Car-Free Day” began at the Central Festival shopping complex and took cyclists along a 32-kilometre stretch.
Car-Free Day aims to be kinder to the planet by encouraging people to be less dependent on cars and to try alternative modes of transports.
Informal car-free days took place throughout the 1990s and the first official, global Car-Free Day was launched in 2000.
Many big cities around the world, from Bogota to Jakarta, closed their central roads to vehicles and left them free for walking and cycling.
Smaller car-free events also take place around the world.
