Guildford town centre to go car free for a day
Guildford town centre will be full of stalls, music and children playing as it goes car free for the day. The high street will be putting pedestrians first as the council focuses on a “greener Guildford[1]“.
A number of roads will be closed to all traffic on Sunday, September 24, as the town celebrates Car Free Day 2023. Instead of cars the town centre will be home to a variety of eye-catching market stalls, vegan food, live music and a street play for children between 10am and 4.30pm. These family friendly activities are aimed at empowering everyone to change their own lifestyle, and live a bit greener[2].
The event will take place across the High Street, Tunsgate and the Upper High Street where road closures will be in place between 7am and 7.30pm. A diversion will be in place for all traffic and car parks will remain open as usual. Buses will be running as normal, apart from the route on the Upper High Street. Guildford Borough Council[3] chiefs hope this will allow people to experience what the town could look like if it were car free.
On the day, the council will be handing out information on how people can do their bit for the environment, as well as explaining its plans to reach net zero by 2030. Some of these plans include the Plastic Free Guildford campaign, as well as introducing water refill stations around town and the reusable coffee cups scheme which Experience Guildford is working on.
On top of the stalls, a series of special events will showcase eco ideas and provide some fun:
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Looking to ditch the car – find the E-Bike taster session on the closed Upper High Street. The bikes will be being demonstrated by Fully Charged and open to have a go on
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Get the most from the car free streets with some street play – the Community Wellbeing Team will be in Tunsgate to have some fun with the kids. The Playrangers will be on hand all day so you can play ‘traffic free’
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See Guildford from above – head to the Upper High Street and get an eagle’s eye view of the town centre from the top of SOLD’s 9metre climbing tower
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Music on the cobbles – enjoy the mutli-layered singing experience of Rock Choir. Hear them outside the Guildhall under Tunsgate Arch on the High Street at intervals during the day
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Guildford Environment Forum – find out about how more than 330 Guildford Environment Forum members have been tackling the loss of biodiversity and promoting sustainable transport solutions over the last 29 years
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Zero Carbon Guildford – talk to the team to find out how you can help Guildford become carbon neutral
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Extra bike racks – cycling in but don’t know where to park? We’re providing extra bike racks during the day. Safely Park your bike right in the town centre. Remember to collect your bike by 5pm
George Potter, lead councillor for Climate Change, said: “We’re fully committed to working with our residents in the fight to tackle climate change. It has never been more important for us all to play our part in the face of a climate catastrophe.
“Guildford alone cannot solve all the problems, but I hope that as many people as possible will visit Car Free Day to see what our town centre could look like without cars and to further understand how we can all play our part in dealing with the climate crisis.”
Guildford High Street is already closed to traffic for significant portions of the day, but this event is designed to highlight what a greener focus would look like. The Car Free Day event is being funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Cllr Catherine Houston, lead councillor for commercial services, added: “We’re committed to becoming a net-zero carbon borough by 2030. Making journeys without our cars can be more convenient than a lot of us first think.
“Car Free Day is going to be a lot of fun whilst helping us all understand how we can play our part in creating a `Greener Guildford’. So, leave your car at home and walk, cycle, skate or grab a bus and enjoy a free family fun day! Car Free Day gives everyone a chance to have fun and celebrate in our town centre without the cars. It gives you the chance to see how our town centre could look in the future.”
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References
- ^ Guildford (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ bit greener (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Guildford Borough Council (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Discover Guildford’s secret gem nature reserve (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Meet Guildford’s best businesses where customers always come first (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ here. (data.reachplc.com)