Imelda Munika
The City of Windhoek is once again inviting organisations to participate in the 2nd Car Free Day Challenge, scheduled for 22 September 2023.
The event will kick off from the City of Windhoek customer care centre in Khomasdal and culminate at the head office on Independence Avenue in town. Participants will take on a 5km walk, jog, or cycle challenge, and the corporate organisations with the highest percentage of participants will receive recognition in the form of a trophy.
Meryclare Itwa, a spokesperson for the event, explained since City of Windhoek employees were the sole participants last year, there was a trophy for the department with the most participants.
“This year, however, we are introducing an internal floating trophy, as well as a trophy for corporate companies with the most participants,” she said.
Car Free Day aims to promote reduced car usage and encourage the use of sustainable transportation alternatives as a means to address environmental, health, and community-related challenges.
“The challenge is open to any corporate organisation that wants to help us raise awareness about emissions and air pollution,” emphasised Itwa. The City of Windhoek envisions making this challenge an annual event. Last year’s event, limited to City of Windhoek staff, was a tremendous success. This year, the objective is to expand participation and collaboration with more corporate institutions.
“What happened last year is we arranged pick-up points for City employees at various stations, where people were collected and transported to the event’s starting point. We plan to do the same this year, and corporate companies with their own transportation, such as buses, are encouraged to park their cars at work for safety reasons and utilise the provided bus transportation to the starting point,” Itwa explained. In addition to the Car Free Day Challenge, the City of Windhoek has plans to introduce similar projects aimed at improving air quality in the city.
The event serves as a crucial step in promoting sustainable transportation and fostering a greener, healthier urban environment. - imeldamunika@gmail.com