Residents, businesses, tourists, and the environment all stand to benefit from weekly Car-Fee Day in Baguio City. Families can now enjoy the clean and healthier air, business can thrive as this can have a foot-traffic, tourist can now experience the walkable, peaceful City. Commuters can still have an access through essential transportation such as jeepneys, taxi, bus and eco-friendly alternative. This can also impact the drivers, as their source of income, who can have more passengers and support their families.

 

 

 

 

Baguio City is known for its natural beauty, a lake, a green grass, and a lot of pine trees, and its cool breeze. Current data from the city shows that there is an average annual increase in registered vehicles of around 8 percent. With the city’s roughly 64,000 vehicles, the city expects to hit the 70,000 registered vehicles mark by 2026 (Castillo 2024). A study highlights a strong influence of meteorological factors on pollution levels, suggesting that Baguio's air pollution is a persistent issue (Liponhay et al., 2024), traffic congestion, and environmental degradation due to the increasing number of vehicles. Without intervention, the City is going to lose the fresh and cool breeze of it affecting the visitors and residents health. A weekly Car-Free Day, allowing only public transportation and eco-friendly alternative for transportation, can reduce the air pollution, ease the overcrowded vehicle in the City without affecting the daily lives of residents and workers. 

 

 

 

 

With the climate change and urban pollution threatening to damage the City's future, an action is needed. Many Cities implent a Weekly Car-Free Day such as Davao, proved that it reduces the air pollution where everybody can still have a public transportation and can still enjoy the walkable and fresh air of the City. Baguio must act now to protect public health, and preserve its natural beauty for future generations. 

We respectfully urge the Baguio City government to implement a Weekly Car-Free Day while still ensuring a reliable public transportation for anyone.

REFERENCES:

Liponhay, Marissa P., Valerio, Alyssa D., & Monterola, Christopher P. (2024). Time-delayed causal network analysis of meteorological variables and air pollutants in Baguio city. Atmospheric Pollution Research 15 (6), 102095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2024.102095

Castillo, Angel C. (2024). Baguio to breach 70K vehicles by 2026. The Baguio Chronicle. https://thebaguiochronicle.com/business/baguio-to-breach-70k-vehicles-by-2026/