Dubai's car-free day on February 21 gains speed

Tomorrow marks Dubai's seventh annual car-free day, in which Dubai residents and employees of more than 1,000 companies and organisations are expected to ditch their vehicles and find alternative, environment-friendly ways to move around.

The event is part of Dubai's efforts to make the emirate the most environmentally friendly city in the world. The seventh edition will be significantly larger than last year's, in which 300 organisations participated and 30,000 people left their cars at home.

Over the years, car-free day has already had a significant impact on the environment, with a combined estimated reduction of 140 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as 147,000 litres of fuel.

Alya Al Harmoudi, director of the environment department at Dubai Municipality, said she hoped that the spirit of car-free day would live on throughout the year.

"Together we can contribute to reduce the carbon footprint of the Emirate and promote environmental gains for present and future generations, not just for a day, but everyday," she said.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com