Car-Free Sunday gateway to creating a greener S’pore

I am heartened that support for Car-Free Sunday SG has grown. Promoting a car-free lifestyle goes a long way towards curbing air pollution and creating a greener Singapore (“Expanded Car-Free Sunday returns this week”; Oct 26).

In the light of environmental concerns about carbon emissions and global warming, which hangs like a sword of Damocles over us, efforts to preserve the earth are becoming increasingly important.

At the back of our minds, we realise something must be done, yet inertia prevents us from taking the first step.

Thus, Car-Free Sunday strikes a balance and serves as a gateway initiative to encourage the public to be more conscious of the impact our actions have on the environment.

That the initiative has been expanded suggests the six-month pilot project was successful and there is sufficient demand from the public. I hope that such initiatives will gain support from the bulk of the population and even be extended to Saturdays or a weekday.

Sunday mornings were probably chosen for the pilot project so as to not disrupt business. If we want to be truly eco-friendly, however, then the goal is to reduce car usage on weekdays, when traffic is heaviest.

I applaud Mr Lee Tang Teng for offering free rides on his “bike train” around the Padang. Innovative efforts like this pave the way for society to be able to access more areas without needing to rely heavily on cars.

Groups such as the cyclists organising guided trips, coupled with the efforts of volunteers to ferry the elderly around in trishaws, are also playing a role in drumming up support for such events.

Civil society seems to be working well with the Government to make the event a success. Looking ahead, it could eventually be expanded into the heartland too, and I encourage all Singaporeans to support this initiative.

While Car-Free Sunday in the Central Business District is a good start, the whole community’s support is needed to reach the goal of reducing our carbon footprint, not only in the city centre but throughout Singapore.