--- description: Kigali, Rwanda's capital, is closing down its streets to drivers and establishing Car Free Day every month title: Rwanda's Capital Kicks Cars Off the Streets for a Day Every Month image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3eb9d310de693e37/6988a267cd1bbaf69b701f83/kigali-street-car-rwanda-car-free-day.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Rwanda](/tag/rwanda/) ## Rwanda Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Rwanda's Capital Kicks Cars Off the Streets for a Day Every Month  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 15, 2016 5:10 PM CUT  A busy district in Kigali, Rwanda, where pedestrians can come in close proximity to traffic. A busy district in Kigali, Rwanda, where pedestrians can come in close proximity to traffic.Thierry Falise—LightRocket via Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 15, 2016 5:10 PM CUT Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, is closing down its streets to drivers and establishing a monthly [Car Free Day](http://qz.com/758134/rwanda-is-banning-cars-from-its-capital-for-one-day-a-month/ "undefined"). The city introduced the day in May, and held it [for the third time on Sunday](http://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/spip.php?article1357 "undefined"). Kigali closed main connecting routes to traffic “to encourage people to walk, jog as well as ride bicycles” in the streets, said Mayor Monique Mukaruliza according to [Rwanda’s ](http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-05-25/200185/ "undefined")[_New Times_](http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-05-25/200185/ "undefined"). “The move is aimed at encouraging mass sports and exercise along the affected route through introducing the much anticipated green transport and green city,” Mukaruliza said. > [](https://twitter.com/CityofKigali/status/764696086808256512) Residents took to the streets and gathered at a local stadium for [health and eye exams](http://qz.com/758134/rwanda-is-banning-cars-from-its-capital-for-one-day-a-month/ "undefined"), offered as part of the wellness efforts. The City Council has paired with the Rwanda Biomedical Center to promote ‘Green Transport’ like walking or biking because exercise can reduce non-communicable disease prevalence. Other cities across the world are taking steps to promote transport beyond motor vehicles. In its own version of Car Free Day, New York City closes down a few miles of Park Avenue for multiple Saturdays of ‘[Summer Streets](http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml "undefined").’ > [](https://twitter.com/CityofKigali/status/764845693357985792) \[[_Quartz_](http://qz.com/758134/rwanda-is-banning-cars-from-its-capital-for-one-day-a-month/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4452638/kigali-rwanda-car-free-streets/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4452638/kigali-rwanda-car-free-streets/"},"headline":"Rwanda's Capital Kicks Cars Off the Streets for a Day Every Month","datePublished":"2016-08-15T17:10:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T23:59:33.990Z","description":"Kigali introduced Car Free Day in May","url":"https://time.com/4452638/kigali-rwanda-car-free-streets/","keywords":["Rwanda","Travel"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3eb9d310de693e37/6988a267cd1bbaf69b701f83/kigali-street-car-rwanda-car-free-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3eb9d310de693e37/6988a267cd1bbaf69b701f83/kigali-street-car-rwanda-car-free-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"kigali street car rwanda car free day","caption":"A busy Kigali popular district. 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