BY ZURAH NAKABUGO
The state minister for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Kabuye Kyofatogabye, launched the car-free day on March 26 by encouraging residents to embrace it for health benefits.
In his comments after flagging off the event, Kabuye advised the city dwellers to leave their cars at home for some days and walk to avoid non-communicable diseases, which are caused by unhealthy lifestyles such as not doing exercises.
“We have introduced car free day, aimed at informing the public to walk on the streets as a way of improving their health since many people are dying of non-communicable diseases that related to air pollution from the cars, motorcycles and also not doing enough exercises like walking,” Kabuye said.
During the launch event on Sunday, March 26, half of Kampala city, which has a population of over one million, was closed to all vehicle users. Only pedestrians and cyclists were allowed to emphasize car-free day theme.
“Kampala is one of the cities in the world with worst air quality. By having a car free day, we are cutting on the level of air pollution, and recognize other road users like people With Disabilities (PWDs), children and pregnant mothers,” Kabuye explained.
He added: “We are also trying to protect the environment from vehicle emissions which compromise the air quality. We managed to have uncontaminated air free of chemicals that cause lung-related diseases.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), car and industrial pollution are linked to cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which impairs lung function and causes lung cancer.
The WHO research shows that outdoor urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles and factories, accounts for the premature deaths of 1,340,000 people annually.
Winstone Katushabe, the Commissioner Transport Regulation and Safety, noted that the car-free day also helped motorists learn to respect other road users such pedestrians, cyclists, children and pregnant women.
“It has been a family day out, people came with their families to exercise and interact with others on the streets, children played in the middle of the roads since vehicles didn’t access the designated car free areas,” he said.
According to KCCA deputy executive director, David Luyimbazi, the car-free day also promotes road safety since people move freely without car threats knocking them.
Joseph Beyanga, a road safety advocate, said the car-free day was meant to protect the environment and ensure that road users are protected. “The day was marked under the theme “road safety and air quality,” he said.
