A day without cars to raise awareness and have fun in La Chana

The icy Saturday morning in the neighborhood of La Chana has not discouraged neighbors and onlookers who, awakened by the noise of music and the cries of amusement from the little ones, went yesterday to Sagrada Familia street to enjoy Car Free Day, initiative carried out by the Granada City Council and which has had its first stop in 2022 in this area of ​​the capital.

From 10:30 a.m. until lunchtime, thousands of residents and onlookers have been able to enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities, as well as open doors and demonstrations in front of shops, in an activity that has returned life to the area despite the pandemic to one of the most populous neighborhoods in the capital.

With the aim of reducing emissions and improving air quality, the narrow Sagrada Familia street, with space for only one traffic direction and some parking, has been closed to traffic and invaded by pedestrians, to the point that it has become small in some areas due to the large influx of people who have gathered.

Scattered along the street, a couple of circuits with small cones were the perfect place for the little ones and teenagers to get out their skates, scooters and skateboards to do slalom exercises and show off their skills to friends, neighbors and visitors.

Rodrigo, father of two children who had fun dodging obstacles, commented that this initiative is perfect for the little ones to go out into the street and "leave aside mobile phones, tablets and technologies" and have fun "in the old way". "I wish they would do it more often in order to have more leisure alternatives at hand and so close to the neighbourhood", he has valued.

Right next to the circuits, the rap music that accompanied the pirouettes gave way to the more classic tango, where couples from the Granada Tango Association 'Milonga de la Glorieta' exhibited this exotic dance in front of the mobiles that recorded the image. In front of them, children took advantage of recycled products to make crafts at the stand of Inagra, the capital's garbage collection company.

A little further on, and with a mannequin conveniently dressed in a mask, Civil Protection volunteers taught families how to perform CPR, while others took advantage of the presence of an ambulance to enter it and discover the features it offers. in rescuing injured people. The Alsa minibus was also successful, open to all those who wanted to take a picture in it.

In front of all of them was the Topitos fashion and accessories store, which had taken advantage of the celebration of this initiative to take a coat rack to the sidewalk and show the neighbors its variety of clothing at discounts. Beatriz, the owner of the premises, has requested that this day be celebrated "at least once a month". "It's an initiative that encourages people to go out into the street, have fun, go to the shops and give life to the neighborhood. I've never seen the street like this, so full of people."

There was also room for different Granada NGOs such as Madre Coraje or Inpavi, which sold products to raise money and made the neighbors aware of their work. Next to him, near the Santa María Micaela Parish, a dance group of girls danced to the latest hit by C. Tangana at full volume, while others had fun with the popular games organized by the Grupo Scout Fénix 516.

A small tent sheltered a small group of 20 children and teenagers from the Puerta Elvira chess club, who showed their skills with the pieces to the curious and invited anyone who wanted to play, while the Maracena Lions American football team showed how throw the ball and a dance group of young teenagers put on a performance while dancing k-pop.

Araceli did not know about the celebration of this Car Free Day in La Chana, she had gone out with her cart to do the shopping in the neighborhood, and she had stayed to enjoy the atmosphere. "This is very good, it gives young people opportunities to have fun in a healthy way and to older people like me, we can enjoy life. We can spend our time in a fun way and make our day happy", she commented.

With the feeling that it should be held more times throughout the year, and with the joy of having provided La Chana with a different day, one of enjoyment and without road traffic, the organizers have set up their posts at noon and the Local Police has given way to cars again. A day without vehicles to show how different everything could be if we did without them.