Lagos Observes 'Car Free Day' to Promote Cleaner Air
Nigeria's economic hub
of Lagos is the most congested city in Africa and has some of its worst air
pollution. To highlight the problems, Lagos authorities on Sunday held the
first Car Free Day, asking drivers to instead walk or ride a bicycle.
Cyclist Dimeji Olawale
pulled out his electric-powered bicycle early Sunday morning to join colleagues
in the Lagos state capital, Ikeja — the venue for the state's first Car Free
Day.
The initiative is
jointly organized by Lagos State authorities and local nonprofit groups
promoting cleaner air.
Roads were blocked to
prevent vehicular movements while participants jogged, walked and cycled
freely.
During the event, Lagos
State authorities pledged to make it an annual commemoration. Authorities said
it's part of an already ongoing effort to encourage more nonmotorized
transportation in the state.
Olawale said cycling
was his way of encouraging the initiative.
"We
promote e-bikes, and we encourage and support our communities to go entirely
carbon-free,” Olawale said. "Everyone can work
together in our bid to fight climate change."
Lagos is rated as the
most congested city in Africa and is among the worst globally, according to the
Traffic Index by the website Numbeo.
Lagos is commonly known
for the large numbers of yellow-colored vehicles swarming narrow roads.
While Car Free Day was
held mostly in Ikeja, it was not observed elsewhere in the state.
But organizers like
Dennis Kange, an official from the African Cycling Foundation, said that will
change soon.
"For a city like
Lagos, vehicular transport is not a sustainable way of moving people,” Kange
said. "And with the implementation and awareness about nonmotorized transport
policy, more people can become aware that you don't always have to drive.
Driving has other effects, like carbon emissions, obesity. It can affect our
environment, our health."
Lagos State resident
Chidimma Nwanekezie participated in the event.
"It's not a
situation whereby the road is just for people who have cars,” Nwanekezie said,
"but we're able to share the road with other people who do not have cars —
bikers, cyclers and even people who used the pedestrian walkway."
Between 1990 and 2019,
the impact of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere in Nigeria has increased by
more than 270 percent, according to the International Energy Association.
Nigerian authorities
said last week that more than 300 people died from flooding, and 100,000 have
been displaced this year. Lagos State is among the states affected.
For now, authorities
said they will be working to modify other modes of transportation and will
encourage citizens to commit to cleaner and more sustainable urban transport.
VOA
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