Bolivia Goes Car-Free on National Day of the Pedestrian

On Sunday, in honor of the National Day of the Pedestrian, nine cities in Bolivia went car-free.  All roads were shut off from car traffic for the majority of the day leaving the citizens of Bolivia to reclaim their streets.  The goals were two-fold: to raise awareness about the environment and to simultaneously reduce pollution.  It is estimated that over 2 million cars were removed from the streets for the occasion.

As you can imagine, many citizens took advantage of the absence of cars.  A marathon was held in La Paz and the rest of the streets were filled with families, street performers, and even people leading exercise classes.  Evo Morales, the President, used the opportunity to go for an early morning jog.

The National Day of the Pedestrian is planned to be celebrated yearly in Bolivia on the first Sunday of September.

[CC Image folkehjelp via Flickr]