In the German town of Vauban, a suburb of Freiburg, they do not allow anything on four wheels and an engine on the streets.  In the German town of Vauban the cyclist is king.

In this suburb of Freiburg, you have to either ride your bicycle or take a tram to work.  If you do want to have a car, you have to park it in the outskirts of the district and pay 20,000 Euros for space in one of the garages.  But unlike here, 57 per cent of residents actually sold their car to allow them "to enjoy the privilege of living here", said Andreas Delleske, one of the founders and promoters of the Vauban project.

In Vauban, a suburb of the university town of Freiburg, luxuriant beds of brilliant flowers replace what would normally be parking outside its neat, middle- class homes. Instead of the roar of traffic, the residents listen to birdsong, children playing and the occasional jingle of a bicycle bell.

If there is a need for a car for holidays or to move things, there either rent one or they join one of the town's car-sharing cooperatives.

Comments

Car Free? Written by aloaf on 2009-07-08 08:52:07   Sounds like a very noble idea but have you ever tried to carry a sheet of plywood on a bicycle? Cars/trucks are part of our lives and there's really no way around it...

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