All about car-free Sundays in the Netherlands

Originally, the car-free Sunday was a government-instituted Sunday on which it was forbidden to drive a car or use another vehicle with a combustion engine. This day was instituted for various reasons, for example because of oil crises and petrol shortages due to wars. In order to secure as much petrol as possible (for the army, for example), the government encouraged people to limit car use as much as possible and so car-free Sundays were instituted. Such a car-free Sunday was last observed in the Netherlands on January 6, 1974.

Nowadays, car-free (sun)days are also sometimes organized. But this is mainly done by environmental organizations, action groups and municipalities. In this way, they want to make people more aware of protecting the environment and saving energy. Also every year during the European Mobility Week (from 16 to 22 September) a 'Car-Free Day' is organized. Municipalities throughout the Netherlands, but also throughout the rest of Europe, can participate by closing certain streets to car traffic.

When were the last car-free Sundays in the Netherlands and Maastricht and will the car-free Sunday return soon? You can read it in this blog.

When was the last car-free Sunday in the Netherlands?

The last real national car-free Sunday in the Netherlands was on January 6, 1974. The ten Sundays between November 1973 and January 1974 were designated car-free Sundays in response to the oil shortage that prevailed during the Yom Kippur War. The last 'Car-Free Day' in the Netherlands for environmental awareness was in 2019. Only the city of Groningen participated.

When was the last car-free Sunday in Maastricht?

The last Car-Free Day in Maastricht was on Sunday 13 September 2009. This Sunday was not only designated by Maastricht, but also by many other municipalities as an official Car-Free Day. This day was a great kick-off for the Week of Progress, in which approximately 75 percent of Dutch municipalities organised activities to stimulate sustainable mobility (walking, cycling, public transport, etc.).

It was the third time that the municipality of Maastricht participated in the Car-Free Day. The previous car-free days in Maastricht were in 2007 and 1999. The car-free area had been greatly expanded since the first edition.

Will the original car-free Sunday return?

Every few years, municipalities in the Netherlands participate in the Car-Free Day of the European Mobility Week to increase environmental awareness among people. But lately, some organizations and activists have also advocated to reintroduce the original car-free Sunday in the Netherlands. This is to deal with the high petrol prices and the energy crisis.

Especially if it is up to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the car-free Sunday will soon become a thing again. Reintroducing the car-free Sunday (in large cities) in the Netherlands is one of the 10 points that the IEA has drawn up to overcome the current energy crisis. Whether this plan will also be implemented, of course, remains to be seen.

For now, you can still enjoy a nice cross through the Heuvelland on your free Sunday. So enjoy it while you can. You can do this by car rental in Limburg at Adrem Car Rental Limburg. You can also rent a car from us at a reasonable price rent a car for a long weekend! Take a look around our website or contact us to discover the various possibilities. Read more about current trends and developments in the automotive industry in this blog.