Car Free City – Vauban

photo by RIghtee

No, it’s not some belated April Fools joke. A town in Germany has actually made the leap to being a car free town, where cyclists and pedestrians have the right of way. Vehicles are only allowed in to make deliveries at certain times of the day.

image by Carnotzet

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 you want to have a car here, you have to pay about €20,000 for a space in one of our garages on the outskirts of the district,”  from: Independent

image by Kafeestein

Residents seem happy to travel around by foot, bike or the ultra efficient German tram system. It is been heralded as a city of the future. Not just good for the environment but good for quality of life and a lower rate of road fatalities.



One Response to Car Free City – Vauban

  1. chris November 18, 2009 at 4:13 pm #

    i hate cars traffic…..excellent idea

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