D.B. Road and West Thiruvenkatasamy Road of R.S. Puram will get the status of being the first two roads of Coimbatore to enjoy ‘car-free’ Sunday on August 9.

Both the stretches would be free of traffic between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Various programmes have been chalked out by sponsors and organisers for the three-hour duration.

Residents of the area are eagerly awaiting the ‘car-free’ day to put the roads to good use. Running, cycling, skating, and other recreational activities would form part of the event on Sunday. Children and elderly persons, who have been confining themselves to their homes fearing the heavy traffic on these roads on normal days, can enjoy the peace.

It may be noted that ‘car-free’ day was first introduced in Gurgaon on November 7, 2013. However, the concept was first launched in Ciclovía, an event that began in Bogota, Colombia, in 1976, which closes streets to cars and opens them for the exclusive use of people for running, cycling, skating, or other recreational activities. Today, up to 2 million Bogota residents from all walks of life still enjoy over 70 miles of car-free streets every Sunday. This concept has gone on to inspire several cities around the world to promote sustainable transport, and facilitate social integration while highlighting environmental issues.