Car-free Sundays: QC’s urban renaissance on two feet (or two wheels)
As a proud Quezon City denizen living just a stone’s throw from Tomas Morato—that storied avenue of sizzling steaks, pulsing nightlife, and, let’s be honest, legendary traffic—I’ve long dreamed of a day when the street might finally breathe. And lo and behold, like an urban fairy godmother waving a traffic cone instead of a wand, Mayor Joy Belmonte has granted our wish: “Car-Free Tomas Morato Sundays,” every first Sunday of the month.
Suddenly, the asphalt ballet of honking cars and swerving motorcycles transforms into a vibrant promenade—joggers gliding past giggling kids on bikes, titas power-walking in Lululemon like Olympians in retirement, and even the occasional tito attempting (and failing) to rollerblade with dignity. The air smells suspiciously like… oxygen. Revolutionary!
The globel gospel of car-free streets
Here’s the good news: This isn’t just QC’s wise, quirky experiment—it’s part of a worldwide movement. Bogotá’s “Ciclovía” shuts down 76 miles of roads every Sunday, turning them into a cyclist’s paradise. Paris has banned cars along the Seine. Jakarta, a city once synonymous with gridlock, now hosts “Car-Free Days” where streets become impromptu dance floors. Even in China, the world’s largest car exporter, cities like Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou have embraced car-free initiatives.
Science backs the magic: fewer cars means fewer heart attacks (thank you, clean air!), fewer frazzled nerves (goodbye, road rage!), and more serendipitous chats with neighbors (remember those?). One study even found that walking boosts creativity by 60 percent. Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to slow down.
A digital detox for our car addiction
We’ve been conditioned to believe that cars equal freedom. But what if true freedom is strolling without inhaling exhaust, biking without fearing a side mirror might clip you, or simply not spending half your life in traffic?
On car-free Sundays, Morato becomes a living postcard—a place where you finally notice the sampaguita vendor’s smile, the hidden café with the killer tsokolate, or the fact that the old sampaloc trees along the avenue have quietly outlasted every political dynasty (fun fact: Morato Avenue was once called Sampaloc Avenue).
A challenge to our leaders
Election season is here, so here’s a radical idea: What if candidates swapped their armored convoys for a padyak ride down Morato? Imagine senators actually walking among voters instead of waving from SUVs like visiting royalty. Bonus points if they brave the MRT at rush hour—now that’s true heroism!
And while we’re dreaming: Can we fix Metro Manila’s pedestrian overpasses to rid them of dangerous, tangled wires? Navigating them shouldn’t feel like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Small steps, big planet
This isn’t just about fun—it’s climate action in motion. Cars guzzle fossil fuels, choke our skies, and heat the planet. But for one Sunday a month, QC is helping to promote a greener future.
Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss once told me that in his country, during Yom Kippur, cars vanish for 24 hours—and I read air pollution drops by 99 percent! We may not have a holy day for it, but shouldn’t survival be sacred enough?
Let’s make this grow
Why stop at Morato? Let’s demand more bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and trees along them (looking at you, EDSA). Maybe even a city-wide referendum: “Should all of QC go car-free one Sunday a month?” I’d wager my last ube ensaymada the answer would be, “Oo naman!”
Keep walking
So here’s to car-free Sundays—to rediscovering the joy of moving at human speed, to streets that belong to people, not pistons. And when Monday rolls around and the cars return, let’s hold onto this truth: Change doesn’t have to be slow.
To Mayor Joy and QC leaders: Thank you, and more, please! To my fellow citizens: Lace up those sneakers, reclaim our sidewalks, and let’s walk—not just for health, but for the future.
