A Break from Brakes! World Car-Free Day Rally by MbC
Mangalore Bicycle Club organized World Car-Free Day Rally 2016 and 1st Anniversary of Mangalore Bicycle Club Car-Free Day Initiative
Mangaluru: World Car Free Day Rally by Mangalore Bicycle Club (MbC) in association with Dakshina Kannada District Legal Service Authority, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Mangalore Bar Association and Lions Club was a fantastic one and a very appropriate way of “1st anniversary celebration of MbC Car free day initiative”. Rally was flagged off by K.S. Beelagi, Principal District and Sessions Judge.
There were around 210 participants both cycling and walking in the rally. Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Ganesh Nayak- General Secretary of MbC said, ” We believe that car free day in Mangaluru has taken a big leap on this day and will be observed by different organizations and institutions going forward. With this we will be able to provide better, greener and safer environment for generations to come. We also hope to see some positive change in behavior towards cyclists and pedestrians from motorists . Our acknowledgement to Dakshina Kannada District Legal Service Authority, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Mangalore Bar Association and Lions Club for associating with us in this initiative.”
CM Josho, MCC Mayor Harinath Mayor, Bushan G Borase Superintendent of Police, GS hedge, Thimmayya, Rajasekar Puranik pollution, Chengappa, Umesh Prabhu, Jayaprakash Nayak- officer pollution control board were present during the occasion All the participants in the rally together took an Pledge on reducing the usage of motor vehicles and switching to alternate fuel efficient and eco-friendly mode of commutation like public transport, cycling, car pooling, walking etc as much as possible.
Car-Free Day will be observed on 1st Saturday of every month going forward. MbC members have been observing Car-Free for the past 12 months since its inception on October 10, 2015 and this has been one of the successful initiatives of our club.
Nayak further s aid, ” We wish to see more and more people joining hands in their individual capacities to make this even more successful. We also welcome other institutes and organizations, both private and government to join hands with this green initiative and make this a better place for generations to come. The objective is to contribute to a green environment by reducing as much carbon footprints as possible. We urge each Mangalorean to turn off their private motor vehicle and walk, cycle or use public transportation for their commutation needs on every second Saturday of the month. It is a major step towards awareness creation among the public on sustainable urban transport and safe co-existent with the non-motorized traffic”.
With today’s count of motor vehicles on the road all round the globe, we surely cannot escape the pollution it produces. By experimenting with Car Free Days, lets us experience how our city might look like, feel like and sound like if sustainable transport is embraced atleast a few days in a month by all of us.
