Traffic police officers in Vitebsk preferred bicycles on Car-Free Day

September 22, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Two dozen employees of the traffic patrol battalion of the traffic police department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate switched from service cars to bicycles today on Car-Free Day, a BELTA correspondent reports. Traffic police officers, led by their commander Vladimir Bonadyipenko, despite the rainy weather, held an advocacy bike ride through the streets of Vitebsk. As Olesya Seregina, head of the advocacy and propaganda department of the traffic police department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate, said, the traffic police are drawing attention to the international event in this unusual way and advocating for safe and environmentally friendly transport – bicycles. In addition, on Car-Free Day, environmentalists, together with the traffic police, will hold the "Clean City" campaign and will check cars for toxicity and smoke from exhaust gases and their content of pollutants. Last year, during a similar campaign, the largest number of violations were detected in Vitebsk and Miory. Of the 114 cars inspected in the regional center, 12 reports were drawn up against drivers; in Miory, 38 cars were checked and 11 reports were drawn up. International Car-Free Day was declared in 2000 by the European Commission for the Environment. It is expected that in 2010, 1142 cities in 37 countries will participate in the event. -0-