Wandsworth Borough Council

09/13/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/13/2024 08:32

Street parties close roads for Car Free Day

Community: Residents enjoy a get-together on Car Free Day

Once again, this year Wandsworth residents will be celebrating Car Free Day which will be held on Sunday 22 September. This is an annual event which brings families, residents, and communities together in safe spaces without traffic. It helps reduce air pollution and raises awareness of the need to reduce pollution and emissions in our local areas, as well as enabling neighbours to meet one another and bring communities together.

Eight residential streets will be closed on Saturday 21 September, and 31 streets are closing on Sunday 22.

Find a full list of street closures on our website.

Fun and games: Chillerton Road in 2023

Road closure fees were waived as part of the Council's support for Car Free Day, as part of the Wandsworth's Environment and Sustainability Strategy. Participating streets have also been provided with free play equipment, courtesy of London Play to ensure the day is fun and free for everyone.

Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "We want children to get the chance to play outside safely, so we encourage families to take advantage of Car Free Day and spend the day with their neighbours having fun.

"It's all part of our ongoing work to make our streets safer and our air cleaner by encouraging walking and cycling and setting up School Streets."

"If you're not heading to a street party at the weekend, you can still join in with Car Free Day by leaving your car at home, and heading out on foot, on wheels, or by public transport.

A range of active travel options are available locally. These include:

  • Bicycle hire from £30 a month as part of the borough's Try Before You Bike scheme which also includes electric versions, cargo and adaptive bikes.
  • Free cargo bike hire: Visit the Our Bike website to register to hire one of the four community cargo bikes in the borough (located at Furzedown, Earlsfield, Battersea, and Clapham Junction) or to find out more about the scheme.
  • Find out more about quieter cycle routes via CycleStreets, a UK-wide Cycle Journey Planner.
  • People over 60 can also use their Older Person's Freedom Pass which gives free travel on the tube, buses, docklands light railway and trams at all times as well as on some Overground and National Rail services.

The Council is committed to taking action to improve air quality, identifying areas where levels of local air pollutants are exceeding air quality objectives and working with the community to reduce the pollutants and their effects on health. Find out more about the work we are doing.

Find out more

You can also find out more about our ambitions to become a Carbon Neutral Council by 2030, a Net Zero Borough by 2043 and how you can get involved. Read our strategy, reports and action plan to see how we tackle climate change in the borough.