Motorists urged to try a different greener way to get to work, school, errands.
Frederick, Md (KM) If you’ve ever wished you could get to work each day without dealing with heavy traffic, you may want to take advantage of Car Free Days on Friday and Saturday, September 21st and 22nd. That’s where motorists leave their cars in the driveway, and take alternate ways to get to work or school, or run errands. That can include walking, riding a bicycle, telework, carpooling, vanpooling, or boarding the MARC train or TransIT bus.
As a way to encourage citizens to try different ways to get around, TransIT of Frederick County is offering free rides on all Connectors and Shuttles buses on Friday, September 21st. “If people are typically driving by themselves, it’s a good to pledge to try something different,” says Kendall Tiffany, Community Relations Manager for TransIT.
She says Car Free Day usually takes place on September 22nd. Because it’s on a Saturday this year, Tiffany says Car Free Days will be take place on two day this year. “In terms of a Saturday, which I know a lot of people are running errands, we typically say go to car-light. So try to run all your errands in one trip,” she says.
Organizers say reducing the use of your car for one day a year benefits the environment. “If we reduce the number of cars on the road, we’re reducing carbon emissions and we’re also helping with traffic congestion,”: says Tiffany. “Think about putting 30 people on a bus. It’s a lot less congestion than if you had 30 cars on the road.:”
If you want to take part, you can go on line at www.CarFreeMetroDC.org, and pledge to go car free on Friday and Saturday. You will also be eligible to win some prizes, organizers say.
Car Free Day has been around for a while, and Tiffany says it’s has become very popular. “Each year, when we do these types of events, we do see increases in ridership over daily riderships,” she says. “Last year, we saw a lot more pledges in the Frederick County than in the previous years. So it’s definitely a growing event across the region.”
For more information on TransIT bus routes, you can go on line to www.frederickcountygoernment.gov/transit.
By Kevin McManus