Car Free Day on 23 September 2023 @ Cork City

• Date 23/09/2023
• Location City Centre, Cork, Ireland

Cork City will host its first Car Free Day in the city centre on

Saturday, September 23^rd from 12 noon until 6.30pm.

Cork City Council is hosting this initiative in collaboration with its partners Cork Environmental Forum, Transport & Mobility Forum, Cork Cycling Group, Bus Eireann, Irish Rail, Cork Chamber, Cork Business Association and An Garda Síochána.

Members of the public are encouraged to come to town on Saturday without their cars, either on foot, by bicycle or on public transport to enjoy the city’s streets without traffic.

Use the TFI journey Planner / TFI Live App to plan your route.

The quays will be open to traffic as normal and street closures will be applied to Patrick Street, North Main Street, Cornmarket Street, Castle Street and Adelaide Street from 12 noon to 6.30pm. Buses and taxis will be able to access Patrick Street as normal.

Lord Mayor, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy said‘This is a great opportunity for people to come into town and shop, maybe get a bite to eat or just walk around the city centre and enjoy the calm atmosphere. I am delighted that this event is taking place as part of European SDG week. We have seen from our recently published climate report that 29% of the emissions in Cork City are from cars. This is a small step in encouraging people to get out of the car and try a cleaner mode of transport.’

Conor Healy CEO of Cork Chamber commented, “decarbonising our transport offers a huge opportunity to reduce our emissions and to help reach our 2030 climate targets. Car Free Day is a great incentive to trial switching transport modes, whether it’s public transport, the Park’n’Ride, TFI bikes or walking. Reductions in traffic also create a more pleasant street atmosphere for those visiting, shopping and enjoying the cultural offering of our wonderful city.”

Kevin O’Herlihy, President of Cork Business Association said “Car Free day is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the fact that things are changing at a rapid pace in Cork City. We at the The Cork Business Association are advocates of the 15 minute model where people will be able to live, work and socialise within 15 minutes of the city centre. The future of transport will be walking, cycling and using public transport such as buses and in time, the light rail system. This Saturday, we would encourage all patrons of Cork City to leave the car at home and travel to the city using these modes of transport.” 

Darren McAdam O’Connell from Cork Transport & Mobility Forum said “Great to see Cork joining so many Cities around Europe and the world in giving the street back to the people for a day. Streets were always social spaces for the people of the city to enjoy, to meet and greet their neighbors, until so much space was given over to traffic. I look forward to seeing my friends and neighbors out enjoying all the activities for the day in peace and quiet with space to stroll once again.”

Use the TFI journey Planner / TFI Live App to plan your route.