World Car-Free Day, September 22 might just be the perfect time to start your Car-Free Diet. If you've thought about changing your commute or trip habits, even every once in a while, this is an opportunity to try something new. And there's plenty of tools and resources to help you. What's World Car-Free Day? Says the World Car-Free Day website:
"One day every year, people from all over the globe gather together in the streets, intersections, and neighborhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept living in a car-dominated society. As the climate heats up, this kind of event is the perfect way to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport instead of to the automobile."
The Commuter Connections network, with funding from Virginia, Maryland and the District, is sponsoring events and tools to help. Visit the Car-Free Metro DC web site for more information and take the pledge to go car free on September 22. At the same time the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is sponsoring Try Transit Week September 22-25. Visit their web site and take the pledge and you'll be eligible to win a whole year of FREE transit. Even GSA is offering it's employees a free trial use of one of the region's 14 telework centers this day.
In Arlington, we want World Car-Free Day to be a showcase for how our county might look, feel, and sound with fewer cars – 365 days a year. We've got a few events in Arlington to highlight World Car-Free Day and a few tools to help you get started on your Car-Free Diet:
- Free Ride on Arlington Transit. Ready to reap the rewards of a car-free lifestyle? Take the Car-Free Diet Challenge and you can download a coupon for a free ART ride. The coupon is good for a ride on any ART bus on September 22 only.
- Free Stuff. When you go to carfreediet.com, make sure you take the Car-Free Diet Challenge, share your Car-Free Diet Story and use the Car-Free Diet Calculator! Do one, and you’ll get a coupon for a free book – the special Arlington Edition of How to Live Well Without Owning a Car. Do two, and you’ll get a coupon for a free “I lost 2,000 lbs in one day” t-shirt as well!”
- Clarendon WalkAbout. We invite you to come out for a fun, family-friendly WalkAbout through the streets of Clarendon starting at 6:30 pm. It’s a great opportunity to see and learn about the historical sights, stores and natural beauty of this urban village up close and on foot!
- Confident City Cycling Class. Join the Washington Area Bicyclist Association on World Car-Free Day for this free cycling class at 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 913 in Arlington. The class runs from 4 -6:30 pm with an optional one hour on-road riding practice to follow.
Get more information on World Car-Free Day:
- Live or Work in Arlington
- Washington, D.C. Region
- The World
- World Car-Free Day on Facebook
- World Car-Free Day in Arlington on Facebook
Check out these sites (above) frequently as more information about events, activities and more incentives will be posted as it becomes available. We want to make it easy for you to go Car Free (or car-lite) on September 22 and then hope you'll do it more often afterward, as a result.
Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a Metro/biking commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.
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