Imagine it's a bright, sunny day. A family decides they want to go to the park. I know you're thinking, "OK. Then they'll get in the car and go", but this family doesn't get into a car. This family rides their bikes to the park and sometimes even walks. Matter of a fact all of their neighbors are doing the same. Many cities are now car-free and are enjoying every bit of it.

In Vauban, Germany, the residents have given up their cars and gone for a more pioneer life style. In source 1 it says, "Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district." Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places available for parking-large garages, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home. 70 percent of Vauban's families do not own cars, and the 57 percent sold a car to move there. Heidrun Walter, a media trainer and mother of two says, " When I had a car I was always tense. I'm much happier this way." When walking down streets, the swish of bicycles and the chatter of children drown out the occasional distant motor.

In Paris, France, there recently has been days of near-record pollution so they enforced a partial driving ban to clear the air. Motorists were offered to leave their cars at home or pay a fine of 22-euro ($31), almost 4,000 drivers were fined and many had their cars impounded for their reaction to the fine. Diesel feul was blamed for intensifying smog, since France has a tax policy that favors diesel over gasoline. In source 2 it says, "Diesels make up 67 pecent of vehicles in France, compared to a 53.3 percent average of desiel engines in the rest of Western Europe." The smog, soon enough, cleared up and the ruling French party rescinded the ban for odd-numbered plates.

In Bogota, Columbia, there is now a car-free day where millions of Columbians hiked, biked, skated, or took buses to work leaving the streets eerily devoid of traffic jams. This has been the third year straight where cars have been banned with only buses and taxis permitted for the Day Without Cars. Businessman Carlos Arturo Plaza says, "It's a good opportunity to take away stress and lower air pollution." Parks and sports centers have bloomed throughout the city. Uneven, pitted sidewalks have been replaced by smooth sidewalks. Rush-hour restrictions have dramatically cut traffic, and new restaurants and upscale shopping districts have cropped up.

In conclusion, it seems that residents in car-free cities are more stress-free, happy, and taking care of air pollution. These advantages of limiting car usage should appeal to a lot of different countries now. I'm not saying we should ban cars all together, (because I really enjoy driving), but maybe just cut down on it and enjoy the outdoors for once.