In downtown Cairo, it’s not uncommon to see streets clogged with cars. But in a proposed redesign for a central thoroughfare, they’re hard to spot. Instead, in the concept illustration for what looks like the Egyptian version of Amsterdam, a two-way bike lane, a sidewalk, and a plaza filled with palm trees replace the sea of street parking. This will not only make the city more walkable for pedestrians, but it will also help cut down on air pollution.
Cairo isn’t the only city making moves to eliminate cars from its streets. In Buenos Aires, a massive boulevard that used to have 20 lanes of congested traffic is now off-limits to cars, with public buses being the only ones to have access to the boulevard. This also means that buses no longer need to use crowded side streets, which freed around 100 blocks to become fully pedestrianized, or pedestrian-priority zones where cars are restricted. Take a peek here to see the other global cities taking bold steps to remove cars from the streets.
