Say 'YES! to your car-free city

If something good came out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was that our much-degraded Planet Earth got a break from our selfishness and indifference. When we found ourselves lockdown for over three months, our streets went silent.

‘How eerie!’ we all cried as photos of empty major cities assaulted the social media. We were full of frustration, fear, anguish, and grief. Yet when we opened our windows, we were all stupefied at the wonderful sound of birdsong that grew louder and louder as the air became cleaner and cleaner. “What magic!” we gasped inhaling crisp, fumes-free air.

For several urbanites hearing birds sing was a revelation. Many more had forgotten this wonderful sound.

It was like our childhood Sundays revisiting us over and over again, especially for those who were spared the horrifying wail of ongoing ambulance sirens. The stillness, the serenity of Sundays when mind, body, and soul refresh by resting on the day of the Lord who also rested after creating the world and us.

As lockdown restrictions eased, big cities like Paris and Vienna were determined to come up with their own version of pedestrianized zones while offering more space to cyclists. The ‘Amsterdam’ vision is taking hold even in areas which are not Holland-flat and therefore less easy to be hooked to 2 wheels like the Dutch.

The sales of bicycles are out-pedaling previous records. So much so, that demand for bicycles has surged the world. Shortages are mainly due to manufacturers and suppliers facing hitches from the disrupted transportation of material and parts. Incidentally, today’s bicycle thieves are not delinquents or desperate people but the thousands of vehicles that gridlock our streets choking them with toxic fumes.

In contrast, cycling and walking through a car-free city means a real connection with the city and its people. Seeing, hearing, and smelling every part of the way you go. Getting to know people, waving a ‘Good morning!’ or ‘Good evening!’ to them as you go by while they greet you too. Being part of a community — that life-nurturing sensation that we have long turned our backs on. 

The depressing sight of miles and miles of retail space on the dead high street is coming to mind. There is no turning back the clock on online shopping that is fast becoming the norm. Rather than wallow in doom and gloom, these spaces should be regenerated into residential accommodation while upping the pedestrianized zones nearby. Imagine what a wonderful communal spirit they would generate!

Cycling and walking through the city keep you fit and the air unpolluted with no massive effort on your part. Admittedly, cycling and walking are not for everyone and for every location, since where you live, where you work, your state of health, and the existing infrastructure are determining factors. Yet it must also be said that a wide-scale lazy disposition and unwillingness to change prove the real spokes in the wheel.

Nor is it a matter of promoting cycling and walking. As with everything else success also depends on a holistic approach. Teleworking went mainstream during the lockdown. Again, it does not suit everyone. Yet there is no doubt that it drastically reduces traffic and car emissions as we could all see when most of the world worked from home. Even a hybrid of remote work and meeting weekly or fortnightly in person makes a happy compromise with huge benefits all around. At the same time, public transport needs to be cheap, efficient, spruce, and eco-friendly. Landscaping and investing in bigger, greener spaces need to become mainstream. I love Anne Hidalgo’s idea of involving residents to turn Paris into a leafier city, and that is over and above the big boost, she has given to bicycle lanes and plans to expand the network even further in her role as Mayor of Paris.

Copenhagen, the greenest and happiest city to live, still sets the bar. The hip and happening Danish capital did not need the coronavirus to reset its priorities and embrace green for it has been doing so for years. This is the city where you can eat organic food at every street corner; recycling is second nature; ski down the sloping roof of a power station that generates power from waste for thousands of buildings which are becoming increasingly sustainably designed; hop onto electric buses; drive a solar-powered, sustainable wooden boat along its pristine canals; and where hotels vie for the best eco-friendly credentials and each one boasts of an environment manager. You can even take a dip in its busy urban harbour without fear of finding yourself swimming in polluted waters.

And it is so leafy green, that rather than a capital city with sprawling parks, Copenhagen looks more like a humungous park cradling a city in its folds. Nor can it have enough. A 70-acre nature reserve is on the books to ‘green’ the industrial North Harbour area. I need hardly add that bicycles rule here. Even members of parliament pedal to work every day. And the city’s target to become carbon-neutral by 2025 is well on track. No wonder people living in Copenhagen score max happy points year after year.

Unless you have been there, look up some images of Copenhagen and be inspired. Even if you cannot be bothered to do so, do you want to keep on living a polluted urban lifestyle? Do you want to go back to pre-pandemic traffic nightmares? Doesn’t the concept of sustainable architectural design sound appealing? Don’t you enjoy a city free of cars? So, let’s reclaim our streets by giving as much space as we can to pedestrians and cyclists. Let’s make our cities greener. Let our voices ring out for a truly healthier and happier life.