On February 6, 2000, for one full Sunday, 14 Italian cities, including Rome, Florence and Milan, had a full no-car day to combat rising pollution, reclaim urban spaces for the people and to promote Italy’s underused public transport system.
Without the cars filling up the streets with noise and smoke, Italians and tourists enjoyed a version of their cities they rarely saw, streets usually packed with traffic became playgrounds for cyclists, skaters, joggers, and even horse riders.
To make the day even more appealing, the government offered free or discounted public transport and no entry fees for many museums and galleries.
The experiment was driven by a serious need for change as Italy has one of the highest car ownership ratios in the world, with 684 passenger cars per 1000 inhabitants.
During a previous trial day without cars eight cities saw carbon monoxide levels drop by an average of 35% when cars were removed, and according to the World Health Organization, smog-related illnesses like asthma and bronchitis were responsible for more than 15,000 deaths a year in Italy.
While a Sunday ban idea had started two decades earlier, politicians had long delayed it, fearing they would upset car owners. However, the success of the February 6th event, which saw hundreds of volunteers and police enforcing a £40 fine for violators, encouraged officials to try it. Environment Minister Edo Ronchi even called the day “a success” as he walked through a quiet Piazza Venezia.
Despite the initial excitement and three more scheduled car-free Sundays that year, the habit didn’t really stick along. In Rome, as soon as the ban ended at 6:00 PM, hundreds of cars flooded back into the streets within 15 minutes.
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