Whilst our country’s president has been sent packing, President Lee Myung-Bak exhibited the type of humility seldom seen by leaders anywhere and rode his bicycle to work this morning, whilst commuters took public transport for free, in South Korea’s bid to help the environment.

Today is World Car Free Day – an annual global movement to encourage us to try and live without cars. It’s become a tradition in a number of cities to celebrate with street parties, mass bicycle rides and free public transport. The idea behind it is to show “… how liveable modern cities can be when free from the noise, stress and pollution caused by cars”. Around the planet, there are an estimated 600 million personal vehicles driving around. Each litre of petrol used by a car produces 2.3 kg of carbon dioxide; the average 4x4 or bakkie emits around 8.2 tons over a year…

Around 2000 towns and cities in 38 countries around the world took part last year, whilst Gauteng held its own a month later, and the rest of South Africa barely registered.

In Mumbai, India, a bicycle rally started at 7.3oam from four locations in the city, all converging at Sambhaji Park to promote non-motorised transport and to encourage civic provision of footpaths and cycle tracks on the roads. [indianexpress] Nearly 30 000 Taipei residents, led by Mayor Hau Lung-bin rode bicycles along a 16 km route from Taipei Cityt hall to a riverside plaza near the National Taiwan University [etaiwannews]

Brussels will be closed to motorised transport all day, in Washington, 10 000 people have pledged to leave their cars at home, and in the UK 20 towns and cities will leave their cars at home.. But in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as in a number of other cities around the country and the world, these 24 hours will go by virtually unnoticed. More than 80 per cent of the trips made around the city will be in private cars which make us utterly car-dependent…