The idea and implementation of Carless Sunday are quickly catching on. Makati started this around the area of Ayala Triangle, and Greenfield as well as Manila have jumped aboard on the idea. Not to be outdone, Quezon City is thinking of implementing a car-free day and, of all places, in one of the busiest streets in the city, especially on a Sunday: Tomas Morato.
Carless Sunday along Tomas Morato up for public consultation
Photo: Quezon City PIO
In its first “announcement”, the idea of Carless Sunday along Tomas Morato was posted on the official social media page of Quezon City. As can be seen in the infographic above, the question of whether the Avenue should have cars or not was posed. At first, this did not allude to any specific day which was very worrisome for most if not all who saw it. Not even the photo’s caption mentioned “Sunday”, but it did announce a public consultation that can also be seen above. This was posted on August 9.
Photo: Quezon City PIO
A second announcement for the public consultation – this time with different dates – was posted on August 17, just this past Saturday. This time, the infographic explicitly stated that it would be “Car-Free or Carless Sunday” along Tomas Morato from E. Rodriguez all the way to Sct. Albano from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM, effectively a full day of zero cars along the extremely busy roadway. This is in line with the suggested ordinance by Councilwoman Irene Belmonte. In contrast, the indicated dates for public consultations which will be held in a hybrid setting, that is onsite in the South Triangle Covered Court on August 21 and in the Brgy. Obrero Old Barangay Hall as well as online.
Carless Sunday is a pretty good push for a cleaner environment, but one must wonder what this will do to the many establishments along Tomas Morato that rely heavily on vehicles to bring their patrons to and from their businesses. Well, that’s what the public consultations are for, we take it.
Of course we must also wonder what you, our dear readers, think of this idea. Will it work or will it be a bane for all the restaurants and other businesses along Morato? Will a more “people-friendly” stretch of road benefit a or the majority, and does the price that it comes with justify its implementation? Do chime into the comments section because this has to be one of the most interesting things we’ve all heard of as of late.
