World Carfree Day

air pollution around the world has climbed to very alarming levels and it's main culprit - the automobile which runs on petrol - has to take a very lage part of the blame.Did you know that burning one litre of petrol emits about2.3kg of carbon dioxide?A 1500cc vehicle releases about 3 tonnes of such toxic gas into the atmosphere a year.Considering the fact that there are over 550000 vehicles in hong kong,it is not hard to imagine how much harm these four-wheeled monsters are doing to our environment. September 22 is world car free day , a green event held to "promote improvement of mass transit , cycling as well as walking ".The occasion has been supported by hundreds of cities all over the world since it was started in 1994.On September 22,2009,Hong Kong celebrated its first World Car free Day .The event gained support from 57 private organizations,4 universities and 11 secondary school,involving about 1800 people.Even Mr Donald tsang's chauffeur enjoyed a holiday on that day. However,looking at the traffic around the city,we found just as many cars and trucks running on the road on September 22 as on any other day.The observation was supported by The Transport Department,who revealed that traffic flow had not changed for the better .In this light ,our first World Car free Day                 could hardly be considered a success .Perhaps,there had been too little promotion prior to the event and therefore not too many people were aware of it.Perhaps,the people in Hong Kong are only willing to pay lip service to the idea of environmental protection.It seems that local green activists have yet a long way to go. Think of the benefits a society without cars offers to it's dwellers :fresh air ,zero traffic congestion and road accidents and optimal use of energy. True,pedestrianized cities may yet be a dream too distant to become a reality.Nevertheless,car-free campaigns are an important start.As the saying to create a healthy environment for outselves and our future  generations.