Today, the 22^nd September, is World Car Free Day. The annual event that calls and encourages us all to ditch our cars where possible and embrace public transport or active travel, celebrates how even the smallest changes can have a big impact on our towns and cities.

Highlighting the numerous advantages of going car-free, from the health and wellness benefits to the obvious financial savings, World Car Free Day has gained significant momentum in recent years. Countries and cities across the world continue to organise events and celebrations that bring people together to showcase their commitment to going car-free, and beyond that, how we can continue to encourage everyone to think more about their own modes of travel.

Here at Civic Engineers, promoting active travel and spatial planning that offers lifestyles happily serviced by amenities and facilities located within a comfortable walking or cycling distance, is very much a founding principle of our climate charter. With road travel accounting for 25% of UK carbon emissions, designing neighbourhoods and places that foster a lifestyle less dependent on cars continues to call on our people across our studios to look at the ways we can all ourselves travel more sustainably.

Although an issue high on our agenda all year-round, today we’ve asked as many of our team as possible to consider how they get from A to B each day, and the benefits that going car-free will give to them, and our planet.

Whether cycling in to work the whole way, walking to your bus/tram/tube stop when you might normally jump in your car or walking the kids to school and enjoying our gorgeous fresh September mornings, from big changes to baby steps… every effort counts.

A misconception of World Car Free Day seems to be that no one should use a car at any point, but even if you do have to use your car to get to work today, could you walk to dinner this evening with friends, pick your children up from the childminders or school on foot? Or even use today as a push to find out more about the different modes of local transport available to you (new bus route? Trying out the bikes available to hire now throughout our cities). Try something different today and encourage others around you to do the same.

With estimates claiming over 100 million people in 1,500 cities celebrate World Car Free Day, we hope whatever you’re doing to mark this important day, you learn something new and find some joy in it!