A capital city centre with no cars

As in many cities, the centre of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana had always been crowded with polluting car traffic. Ten years ago they decided to do something about it, and since then the city centre has been car-free. Residents who live in the city centre have to park their cars at an underground garage outside the car-free area and walk from there. The only exceptions are for elderly and disabled people or mothers with young children who are offered free rides in electric taxis. Bicycles and buses are the only other form of traffic permitted in the historic and compact city centre. At first local businesses were worried that the scheme would hurt trade, but these fears never came to pass… in fact both business and tourism have actually increased. Ljubljana’s success in managing its traffic problem is a great example of how positive change can happen when you have a good plan and follow it with perseverance.