WASHINGTON — Get in the car, drive to work, work, drive home — that’s the daily routine for many commuters in the region.
Friday, Sept. 22, is the annual chance to envision — and even sample — what it would be like to commute in a less monotonous, less polluting, more physically fit way.
Car Free Day is an international one-day-event to encourage alternatives to reliance on automobiles.
“There’s less traffic, and less emissions in the air that we breathe,” said Nicholas Ramfos, director of Commuter Connections.
While the idea of avoiding car travel sounds tempting, the reality is most people have to get to their job.
“You could work from home, bike, walk, (and get) a little bit of exercise on that day,” said Ramfos.
Or, you could go “car light,” he said.
“Car light could be perhaps you want to take transit, so you have to drive to the Park and Ride lot, and jump on a bus or train, or you could carpool, or jump into a van pool,” Ramfos said.
The ultimate goal of the promotion is to get people to experiment with parking their cars more often.
“The whole premise is if you try it that one day and it works for you, perhaps you can try it once a week,” he said.
Car Free Day is being celebrated in 46 countries around the world.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
