Cars were not welcome in downtown Montreal on Wednesday as the city marked the seventh edition of "In Town Without my Car," an international event in support of greener transport alternatives.
As of 9:30 a.m., cars were no longer be able to enter an area bordered by Rene Levesque Blvd. to the south, de Maisonneuve Blvd. to the north, de Bleury St. to the east and McGill College St. to the west.
Ste-Catherine St. remained closed to vehicular traffic all day, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., while the surrounding streets opened as of 3:30 p.m.
Cars were not allowed to park on the street within the perimeter from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., including the border streets, but parking lots were permitted to be used.
Events were planned in Montreal throughout the week to promote the use of public transport or riding your bicycle into the city every day.
Quebec City and Gatineau also observed In Town Without my Car in the province.
Toronto held some activities to mark the event downtown Wednesday, but there were no traffic limitations in place. Vancouver held its Car Free Day on June 20 with street festivals in four heavy traffic areas across the city.
Last year, air quality measurements within the car free perimeter showed a 60 per cent drop in carbon monoxide and nitric oxide levels when compared to measurements outside the perimeter.
There are 2,049 major cities worldwide which will be marking the day in similar fashions on Wednesday, according to the European Mobility Week web site. Spain is the most active country in the world with over 200 cities in the country closing off streets to vehicular traffic.
