Brighton getting geared up for car free day

Brighton & Hove is preparing to celebrate Car Free Day on 22 September with a week-long celebration of events, activities and giveaways. 

Car Free Day is an annual global event that encourages walking, cycling and using public transport over car use. Brighton & Hove’s theme this year is ‘A liveable city for everyone’ celebrating all forms of travel.

They have a bumper list of events and activities planned between 18 – 25 September, including: 

The council be covering the cost of an unlock fee and one hour journey on the city’s popular BTN BikeShare scheme. 

During the week, anyone new to the scheme can sign up for a free ride using the code CFD2021. This will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

With more than 550 bikes at over 80 hubs around the city, it’s an ideal way to travel for residents and visitors. Give it a go for free this Car Free Day.

In partnership with Brighton & Hove Buses, on Saturday 18 September, they are offering free bus travel on routes 77, 78 and 79 to enjoy a day out in the South Downs. 

Breeze Buses run every weekend from the city centre to Devil’s Dyke, Stanmer Park and Ditchling Beacon making travel even more convenient to some of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of our countryside.

They'll be hosting the city’s first eCargo Bike Exhibition in Jubilee Square for local businesses and the public on Wednesday 22 September between 10am – 2pm. 

The exhibition is a great opportunity to see the electric cargo (eCargo) bikes and speak to some of the city’s businesses who are using them. 

Businesses will also be able to find out about the support on offer to help them make the switch to eCargo through our eCargo Accelerator project.

The Cilia Dance is a movement piece created and performed by local people and will be coming to Valley Gardens on Saturday 25 September at 3pm.  

The dance is a conversation using the language of movement, instead of words, to explore how we travel around the city. The Cilia Dance for Car Free Day will also mark 15 years since Bicycle Ballet’s first Car Free performance.

Residents and visitors can also enjoy:

• An exhibition of posters from school children who were asked to draw what their perfect street would look like as part of the Hanover and Tarner Liveable Neighbourhood project

• City cycling skills courses

• The chance to earn extra points in our Move for Change challenge

Amy Heley, chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said: “I’m so pleased the city is going to celebrate Car Free Day with such a variety of events and activities throughout the week.

“We want to create a liveable city for everyone in Brighton & Hove. A place where we can travel sustainably with zero emissions and improved air quality. The more we can do to encourage walking, cycling and public transport use the better.

“We’re committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 and doing all we can to tackle the climate crisis. Only by changing how we approach travel and transport can we do this.”