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Kigali Going Car-free On Sunday

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8:34 pm
Kigali Going Car-free On Sunday

Rwandans walking through a road section in Remera

Kigali city dwellers will on Sunday switch off engines of their cars and just walk or ride a bicycle to observe the Car free day.

This is the first time Rwandans are observing the car free day. The official international car free day was launched in 2000.

City authorities have published a map indicating an entire route that will be set aside for pedestrians. From 7am on Sunday up to midday, no cars will be driven on roads including; KN4 Avenue, KN3 Road, KN5 Road, KG11 Avenue, and KG17.

The route from city center through Kimihurura to Remera will be open to walking, cycling and mass fitness exercises.

Organisers say Rwanda Biomedical Center(RBC) staff will be offering free medical checkups for Non Communicable Diseases (NDCs) which they say are on the rise in the country.

“Exercise and sports can considerably reduce such diseases” said Jean-Claude Ruzindana, Kigali City’s director of social development.

Last year in August, Kigali city zoned off some of the streets demarcating them as only for pedestrians. This marked the first phase of establishing the car-free zone in the Central Business District (CBD).

Since the first car rolled onto the roads in 1886, today there are over one billion motor vehicles on the roads around the globe.

People around the world have a love-hate relationship with the motor car. One cannot escape the pollution, noise and danger that they produce.

Car Free Day aims at encouraging Rwandans to be less dependent on their cars and try alternatives to take the heat off the planet for just one day.

Kigali Going Car-free On Sunday

President Paul kagame walking on one of the streets that have since August 2015 become part of car-free zone in Kigali city central business district

Kigali Going Car-free On Sunday