Car Free Day 2019: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announces largest ever vehicle free day in the capital to mark Clean Air Day

Today it is Clean Air Day and to mark it, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has some big news. The capital is to enjoy its largest ever Car Free Day this autumn, in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of toxic air and to encourage city dwellers to explore London without the use of a vehicle.

Set for Sunday, September 22, the day will be one of celebration, featuring a number of car-free events: from guided walks and treasure hunts across the City of London and Southwark, to BMX rides, pop-up playgrounds, and a number of street performances and live music events. It is hoped more than 150,000 Londoners will take part.

Over 20km of streets will be closed to cars in Central London – including Tower Bridge, London Bridge and much of the City – and a total of 18 boroughs will create 'Play Streets' for children; safe spaces free of cars for kids to interact with one another in their local community.

“London is leading the way in innovative measures to improve air pollution and I want this year’s Car Free Day events to be the best of any world city," says Khan.

"This will be a great opportunity for us all to leave our cars behind and explore our streets by foot, or by bike.

"We’ve called our range of events ‘Reimagine’ so that Londoners get an idea of what some of the busiest parts of our city would be like without cars and traffic... I encourage as many Londoners as possible to join in the fun and see the city from a different perspective.”

Clean Air Day is celebrated across the world. The Mayor hopes London's event will encourage Londoners to choose alternative methods of transport to cars, facilitating his goal for 80 per cent of all London journeys to be taken via sustainable means by 2041.

The figure stands at 63 per cent currently, according to the Mayor's office.