CAT Cans Cars
Staff from the Centre for Alternative Technology take part in this year's "Car-Free Day" event.
Contact: Joanne Childs (Email: media@cat.org.uk)	Date: 15/09/2003
Staff from the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) will be meeting in Machynlleth town centre on Monday morning, 22 September, to mark this year's "In Town, Without My Car!" event, also known as "European Car-Free Day". At 9 a.m. the group will set off to their places of work on bicycles or other non-fossil fuel forms of transportation to demonstrate their support for this event. Car-Free Day is now an established date in government calendars across Europe and beyond. On the 22nd of September every year, streets in town centres are closed to cars and lorries and opened up for people to enjoy walking, cycling, street theatre, live music, dancing, public art and children's play areas. While a formal Car-Free Day is not planned for Machynlleth town centre, CAT staff hope that others will join them in leaving the car at home on that day and getting around town using other, more benign, forms of transportation. The Car-Free Day event aims to encourage people to think about how we use our town centre streets, and whether we have got the balance right between the differing and often competing needs of street users. Should high streets be designed primarily for motor traffic? Or should the emphasis be on creating social spaces with less or no motor traffic where people can enjoy shopping and other activities in relative peace and quiet and safety? Car-Free Day is only a day-long event, but it provides "quiet time" to reflect on these issues, and a glimpse of what streets could be like with less motor traffic. Ultimately, Car-Free Day is not just about one day, but about modifying lifestyles to reduce car use permanently and handing over a more habitable city to future generations. Last year's event saw over 1,400 towns and cities participating from some 38 countries. There were 43 events in the UK, over twice as many as in 2001. Towns participating in 2003 are expected to exceed these numbers again. The event now enjoys UK Government support. ** PHOTO OPPORTUNITY** Machynlleth Clock-tower, 9am, Monday September 22nd
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