Ljubljana Is A Car-Free Haven With 300,000 Residents – Is Malta Up Next?
Slovenia’s idyllic capital Ljubljana has been car-free for well over a decade. Since the city banned cars in 2007, it became greener, cleaner, and more sustainable.
And with that, Ljubljana’s 300,000 residents became both healthier and happier, as the pedestrianisation process received a 95% approval rating. Today, the pedestrian area of Ljubljana covers more than 10 hectares – as big as 25 football fields.
Thanks to this initiative, noise pollution and gas emissions significantly dropped. Residents in the city swapped their cars for bikes or started using public transport.
Academic Saša Poljak Istenič, who has written several papers on the impact that pedestrianisation has had on the city, said that “in short, it has improved the standard of living in Ljubljana”.
As one of the few European cities that has gone car-free entirely, the infrastructure of the town centre is now primarily focused on pedestrians. For drivers that need to make it into the city, underground parking lots are available outside of the car-free centre.
But that doesn’t mean not a single vehicle makes it to the centre. There is a fleet of electric taxis, and public transport and bicycles are more than welcome.
There are also exceptions for elderly and disabled people, as well as mothers with infants, who are allowed to drive in the city, or they can opt for free rides with electric taxis.
Malta has seen similar initiatives, as 42 localities started working to pedestrianise their streets as a part of the ‘Slow Streets’ initiative. Last month, the Ħaż-Żebbuġ Pjazza went car-free for one Saturday evening in a bid to promote the use of open spaces.
And with nearly more cars than people, Malta begs for car-free zones. The government realised, as it announced a similar initiative will be seen in Żejtun, Dingli, Qrendi, Żurrieq, Mqabba and Safi at certain times of day.
Pedestrianising parts of villages will have people appreciate their surroundings without dirty emissions, encourage them to walk or use public transport, and allow communities to connect in the beautiful parts of their villages that are normally filled with traffic.
Do you support certain areas in Malta going car-free?
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