September 22 – the World Day Without Automobile

On September22 the whole world celebrates the Day without Automobile,the slogan whereof is as follows:“City as space for people and space for life”.The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan urges car enthusiasts of the Republic to abandon personal transportation means for one day.The campaign is meant to remind of the negative impact of cars on the environment and help people get the idea on the necessity to use alternative means of transportation: public transportation, bicycles and other transport means.
In Tatarstan,starting from 2009,more than 60 thousand car owners each year participate in the campaign. Taking into account that, on the average, one car emits about 5-6 kg of pollutants with exhaustson a daily basis, on the day of the campaign we can speak of the decrease in exhausts from carsdown to 300 tons.
All in all, in order to decrease negative impact of the motor transport on the air quality, the measures are taken in the Republicaimed at reduction and prevention of exhausts from motor transport. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan together with the Department of theState Road Traffic Safety Inspection under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan hold the campaign “Clean Air” every year from May to September–it is a preventive measure aimed at surveillance over compliance withemission limit values for end gases of transportation means.
In order to decrease negative impact of motor transport on the environment, the work on the use of alternative types of motor fuel is carried out in the Republic of Tatarstan, first of all, it concerns the use ofcompressed natural gas, as well as fuel with improved ecological characteristics. Motor transport companies of the Republic acquired 272 gas buses.In 2013, the state program of the Republic of Tatarstan“Development ofthe gas engine fuel market in the Republic of Tatarstan for2013-2023” was approved. Implementation of the program will allow to considerably reduce consumption of liquid petroleum-derived motor fueland to ensure reduction of emission of pollutants into the atmosphere from motor transport by more than 13 thousand tons.
Great work was done in Kazan regarding construction of transport junctions on the busiest municipal highways, which,apparently,leads to reduction of the level of air pollution in Kazan.
The measures on restriction of movement of trucks and lorries in the city taken by local authorities have favorable effect on improvement of the state of the environment, since their contribution intototal exhausts of the car park of the Republic amounts almost to 40%.
Moreover, great work is carried out in the Republic regardingreduction of emission of pollutants from gas filling stations and oil depots.This work is dividedbetween 2 stages. During the 1st stage up to 2015, all in all, 251 gas filling stations, operating in 4 large cities, namely in Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk and Almetyevsk, are liable to equipment with the systems of recovery and recuperation of motor fuel vapors. During the 2nd stage up to2020, it is planned to equip 225 gas filling stations located in other urban areas of the Republic.
The measures taken in the Republic and aimed at reduction of the negative impact of motor transporton the environment, despite intensive growth of the general amount of vehicles,ensure decrease of the level of air pollution in the area of the influence of car exhausts.


Press Service of the Ministry