In Town Without My Car 2003
Camden's Travelwise week 2003 ran from Tuesday 16 September and ended with International Car Free Day on Monday 22 September 2003. This travel awareness week was used to encourage more people to use greener forms of travel such as walking, cycling and public transport across Europe.
Camden has taking part in International Car Free Day every year since 2000. On Monday 22 September 2003 the council closed roads within the area of Museum Street (between Great Russell Street and Bloomsbury Way), Little Russell Street and Gilbert Place, WC1.
Find out about the background of Car Free Day
One of the main objectives of International Car Free Day is to ask people to think about using cars less and consider the benefits of car free lifestyles on all our quality of lives, the air we breathe and the impact on global warming.
Camden's International Car Free Day activities on this part of Museum Street included exhibitions, stalls, music and lots of activities. Visitors were able to experience traffic-free streets with less pollution, noise and stress.
- Download: a map of where the event took place in 2003 (PDF 274kb)
The event in 2002 was very popular and 2003's was also a great success and great fun for all of Camden's diverse communities. School children from The Royal School performed a play about the benefits of not using a car, and there were stalls from Camden and from external organisations presenting sustainable and environmental themes and products, such as electric cars and bicycle hire systems.
Camden used the International Car Free Day event to launch a linked six month trial road closure on Museum Street (between Gilbert Place and Little Russell Street). This trial closure proved both popular and successful and the Council agreed to make it a permanent feature of this street in May 2004, subject to statutory requirements.
Paris and Copenhagen city councils have been creating similar car free areas over recent years to the wide approval of their local citizens.
Information on 2004’s Car Free Day event in Coptic Street, WC1, will soon be available on this site, and you can contact:
Katie Jamieson
Forward Planning and Projects
Phone: 020 7974 2439
Email: katie.jamieson@camden.gov.ukIf
If you're interested in finding out more about last year's Camden's International Car Free Day event (2003) please contact:
Rose Ballard
Camden Marketing
Phone: 020 7974 5715
Richard Finch
Forward Planning and Projects
Phone: 020 7974 2520
There is also a dedicated website:
- www.22september.org
European Mobility Week