The 5th of February has been announced as a 'car-free' day in Dubai as part of efforts to protect the environment and reduce gas emissions.
The Government of Dubai media office officially announced the eighth edition of the pro-environment initiative on its website.
Dubai residents are invited to leave their cars behind and use public transport and bicycles instead.
The campaign which is organized by the Municipality of Dubai was first launched in 2010 and has since become an annual event.
“A total of 1070 government departs and public establishments took part in the 2016 edition”, said Dubai Municipality director-general Hussain Nasser Lootah, expecting the number to increase this year.
Senior officials, leading figures, heads of government departments in the emirate will also join the efforts to turn Dubai into the most environment-friendly city in the world.
Environment, Health and Safety Control assistant director-general Khalid Sharif Al-Awadhi said that more than 30,000 private vehicles were left unused during the 2016 'car-free' day as people volunteered to use public transport.
A vehicle emits approximately 140kg of carbon dioxide per 15-gallon fuel tank, totaling 4 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year per vehicle.