Civil Service to Mark ‘Car Free Day’

Hundreds of employees of the civil service and wider public service participated in Cayman Island's first Car Free Day on Friday, September 20.

The event, which has been approved by the Cabinet, is globally recognised every September as a day in which people are encouraged to get around without cars and instead carpool, take the bus, ride or walk.

Last year some 2,800 cities in 54 countries participated in the event.

The Ministry of Commence, Planning and Infrastructure (CPI), which is leading the initiative, extended the invitation to members of the Legislative Assembly to participate in Car Free Day Cayman.

“We encourage all members of the civil and public service, including those on our Sister Islands, to join with us and reduce our use of cars for just one day. Our plan this year is for the civil and public service to lead by example, and then expand Car Free Day Cayman to the private sector and the general public in 2020,” states Hon. Joey Hew, Minister of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure.

In addition to the options of carpooling, riding or walking, the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure also provided park and ride opportunities for employees who live in the Eastern Districts as well as hop on, hop off buses in George Town throughout the day.

A number of local businesses threw in their support behind the event by providing incentives for civil servants who participate in the event. Some of the incentives include airline tickets, bicycles and gift cards.

Several restaurants in the George Town area offered discounts on Friday to employees of the civil and public service.

Some of the benefits of using fewer cars by taking alternative modes of transportation include reduced traffic congestion, improved energy conservation, less parking problems, reduced harmful emissions, savings on time and money, and generally a greener planet.