PJ Car Free Day 2011

Given a choice, you would like to save cost and feel good. That's the sentiment of those people participating in the Car Free Day 2011 celebration organised by MBPJ recently. The Campaign saw the councillors and officers came to work and meeting by LRT, Community Bus, Walking and cycling on 28th September 2011. It is a symbolic gesture of showing the Council seriousness in supporting effort to reduce carbon emission and creating a green and low carbon city of Petaling Jaya.

Save cost means reducing expenses on the fuel of car and feel good means you are doing good towards protecting the environment. Many do not mind taking the public transportation if the mode is efficient, reliable and affordable or even walking and cycling if it is conducive, comfortable and safe of doing so. Providing feeder bus service to ferry people from their origin to the LRT, Bus and Commuter Stations and later from the stations to place of destination are important to encourage people to shift to public transport as a way of commuting. It is no point of talking tireless to people of asking them to reduce generation of car trip without providing viable option. Similarly asking people to cycle and walk on busy road is not of help. Dedicated and well connected lanes should be built.

While waiting for that to realise, it is right to do something within the influence and means of everyone and not to waiting everything falls in place. For example, do we drive and shop within the neighbourhood centre with vicinity of less than 10 minutes walk? If yes, is that possible to change the habit? Do we develop the habit of switching on the engine of car while waiting someone? If yes, then perhaps we should get down from the car and wait elsewhere if we anticipate to wait for longer time. Many daily routine can be changed and brought benefits to the environment but was overlooked due to our negligence or even attitude of do not bother. So, it is time to change from within.

In this respect, the celebration of Car Free Day in which some councillors are cycling in short distance is not only about raising public awareness, but a statement made on our commitment. Study showed that if a person doing something repeatedly for 3 months, then it will become a habit. Hopefully, this will develop into a habit and routine in time to come.