A Free Ride.

AT 8 A.M. ON THIS PARTICULAR Thursday, the streets of Bogota are strangely subdued. An occasional taxi or bus drives by, but there are no personal cars. Instead, executives, workers and students walk, pedal bicycles or--in a few cases--ride horses to their destinations. "The Day without Cars" unfolded Feb. 24, when Mayor Enrique Pe[tilde{n}]alosa stopped traffic, requiring bogotanos to leave their private vehicles at home and reflect on the future of their rapidly expanding city.

Across Latin America, massive migrations during the past three decades have congested, polluted and overcrowded urban centers. Subsidized gasoline prices and status-conscious cultures promote a "one-person-one-car" attitude, rather than carpooling or--heaven forbid--the use of public transportation.

While Penalosa's measure may seem extreme, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Santiago, Chile, routinely require cars to remain in the garage one day a week to keep the smog at bay. And if the traffic jams keep getting worse, who knows, maybe "market conditions" will lead to a voluntary day without cars.