BARELY a day, week, month or year now exists which has not been claimed by umpteen well-meaning causes.

World Poetry Day, National Storytelling Week, National Microchipping Month. The list is endless. And, for the record, the United Nations has designated 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and International Year of Youth.

Today – how could we forget? – is OneWebDay (stated aim ‘to foster and make visible a global constituency that cares about the future of the internet’).

Oh, and World Car Free Day.

Compared, one suspects, to OneWebDay the profile of Car Free Day locally is huge. Two big adverts in the island’s only daily newspaper, an article last week pointing out that travel on two special buses is free this week and related pieces yesterday and today.

But is it enough to make a difference?

For unless there is some noticeable new policy which persuades a good number of car/van drivers to leave their vehicle at home and get the bus/bike/walk it is hard to see much change year on year.

For the eventual aim has to be to change the habits of drivers. Not just for one day or a week, but long-term. As many people were quick to point out, it is not how many cars there are in Guernsey as how many are on the roads at any one time that makes the difference.

And on the basis of our straw poll yesterday, that aim is falling well short. Aside from the fact that drivers knew nothing of the Car Free Week initiative, it was clear that nothing was being done to change their minds.

The standard reasons for sticking with the car are the same every year. How do you get children from A to B to C and back on the bus? What if a bus route does not go near your house and it’s too far to walk or cycle, especially in the rain.

Until Environment settles on a road traffic strategy and starts making inroads into realistic alternatives to car travel no end of special days will make a jot of difference.

Tomorrow, by the way, is Celebrate Bisexuality Day.