Skating children enjoy empty streets in Kisumu as the county government launches a car-free day that bans vehicles from accessing Kisumu Central Business District. [Collins Oduor, Standard]
There have been mixed reactions in Kisumu over the city's first car-free day. There are those who have embraced the idea and those who have not.
Car-free days, according to UNEP, are a massive opportunity for cities to realise how much pollution affects our lives. Besides, causing respiratory diseases and even cancer, air pollution has been blamed for global warming. Therefore, the less smoke-emitting vehicles on our roads the better for all of us.
A car-free day, however, can't reverse global warming. The thinking is that people will be inspired to embrace non-polluting modes of transport such as walking and cycling, which also have health benefits.
However, even as we laud the county government, we urge it address concerns that the car-free day has denied players in the transport industry their daily bread and held down the sick and the elderly.
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