Cheshire East’s cycling and walking champion is calling on the council to support towns and villages that want to host car-free days, writes Belinda Ryan.
Cllr Suzie Akers Smith has put forward a motion requesting a communications plan which explains how residents and communities in towns and villages can host a car-free day.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that groups and residents in some towns had already expressed an interest.
She said: “We don’t have anything like that in Cheshire East and I know Knutsford wants car-free days, Crewe wants them, Alsager wants a car-free environment for a period of time so they can enjoy their town centre, Audlem said it when I went to their festival last year.
“I know Macctastic in Macclesfield, they’ve been desperate for a car-free day.”
World Car Free Day is on September 22 this year – a Thursday.
When asked whether it was practical as people had to get to work, Cllr Akers Smith said: “The intention of a car-free day is to encourage people to think of a different way of travelling.
“And also it’s about closing off the town centre to vehicles, so you can use your car to get to work but don’t use your car to get to the town centre – either walk or cycle or get a bus if you can.
“Then the town centre is used for businesses to spill out on to the streets with tables, chairs etc and it gives more space for people who use mobility aids to get around.
“Rather than squeezing people off the pavement, they can actually go in the road and there’s a space for kids to come down on their scooter or roller skates.
“You’ve got an empty space and can just enjoy it without fear of being run over by a car.
“You can’t get rid of cars, we’re not trying to do that.
“It probably does need to be on a weekend and trial it certainly one day a month to start off with to see how people like it, whether the businesses can make money out of it and to encourage an area that’s safe for people to be.
“I’m hoping it would generate income for the high street which would really help them at the moment.
“People think if you can’t take your car into the town centre the town centre will die, but it actually has the opposite effect because people will walk or ride their bike to the town centre so they’ll stay there a little bit longer.”
The notice of motion also proposes introducing “parklets” within the high street for businesses before World Car Free Day.
Parklets are usually an extended platform over a parking space or pavement extension and may include benches, tables, chairs, landscaping or bike parking, for example.
The motion has been seconded by Cllr Denis Murphy and is on the agenda for Thursday’s (February 24) meeting of the full council.
Its a great idea. Remember when the lockdown was first introduced how pleasant it was to walk around town?