In Town Without My Car! Day in Ljubljana: Children played in the middle of the street usually full of traffic
European Mobility Week in Ljubljana ended with the In Town without My Car! Day and an interesting line of events. The main street, Slovenska cesta, usually full of traffic, was closed and many institutions in the area presented their measurements on transport, road safety and health. The CIVITAS ELAN group was also present with an info-point, where activities, such as providing information about the project, distribution of promotional material and an opinion poll, were carried out.
The CIVITAS ELAN stand was one of the most frequently visited. The team had quite a lot of promo-material to give away, especially for children, for example balloons, pencils, paper buses and trains and postcards with photo montages of five streets in Ljubljana that will be changed into pedestrian districts or reduced speed zones. Many schools took their pupils on a field trip, where they could learn about present and future traffic improvements in Ljubljana. Some of them had a chance to participate in creative workshops, a marathon and fun games on roller blades, orientation cycling through the city center and others. Also, certificates were given to children who passed the cycling exam. The Mayor of Ljubljana, Mayor Zoran Janković, congratulated young cyclists and said how nice it was to walk on Slovenska cesta and watch children play totally carefree in the middle of it. Activities were accompanied by music, performances and appearances of famous personalities. They were concluded by a concert of various Slovenian musicians and a moving exhibition of climate change, organized by the European Commission representatives in Ljubljana. Although traffic jams surrounded the closed “celebration” area, many people who came to the event were more than satisfied with the absence of motorized vehicles, gas emissions and noise.
