TAMPA, Fla. — People all across Tampa ditched their cars on Sunday for World Car Free Day.  Tampa is one of 2000 cities participating with activities from Westshore to Ybor City.

What You Need To Know

  • World Car Free Day is celebrated in 46 countries in 2000 different cities

  • This is the second year Tampa has celebrated World Car Free Day

  • There was a 6 mile car free, or car light, route from Westshore to Ybor City with family friendly activities along the way

“We took the bikes in from the other side of downtown,” said Johnny Wong who biked on Sunday with his seven year old son for Tampa’s World Car Free Day.

“Riding our bikes through downtown was a great experience. You get to see the downtown in a different way, in a different perspective from what we normally do without the cars presenting a real barrier to crossing streets,” said Johnny.

That’s exactly what organizers hoped today’s event would do, give people a new perspective of their current neighborhood. With activations like this set up along a six mile route that’s car free or car light.

“In Tampa, most people have cars, i have a car myself, but when is started working downtown, one day I got the courage through walk bike Tampa, and others, to take my bike into downtown and I found a path that worked for me that was safe, that connected me through my favorite neighborhoods and to my favorite coffee shops and to my downtown destination,” said Casey Bauer, Planning Coordinator for the Tampa Downtown Partnership.

The Tampa Downtown Partnership hosted an activation near Tampa’s Black History Museum. Bauer says the City of Tampa is constantly working to add more cycling and pedestrian paths, and by participating in events like World Car Free Day, it gives people an opportunity to use them.

“This even allows the city at large to see how neighborhoods that make Tampa truly great are connected and allows people to ease into that biking experience, that walking experience, and maybe next time they say oh I want to grab a coffee but now I know how to bike there instead of taking my car,” said Bauer.

Johnny says him and his son did experience a different side of Tampa today, and events like this are showing people that commuting in cars isn’t the only option. 

This is the second year the city of Tampa has participated in World Car Free Day. 46 countries celebrated World Car Free Day.