OmniRide Asks Residents to Pledge to Go Car Free on September 22
Reduce congestion and pollution! Get some exercise and fresh air! OmniRide, in partnership with Commuter Connections, is asking residents to pledge to be car-free on September 22, 2022. On this day, the agency would like residents to forgo commuting alone by car and instead choose to either use public transportation, carpool or vanpool, bike, walk, or even telework from home.
Car Free Day is a worldwide event that encourages greener methods of travel. Commuter Connections hosts Car Free Day in the Washington, DC region to bring awareness to the benefits of travel options such as transit, bicycling and walking; and telework for people who can work from home. Carpooling and vanpooling count too, which is referred to as “car-lite” since they are both lighter on the wallet and the environment than driving alone in a car.
Everyone who signs up to take the free pledge at www.carfreemetrodc.org will receive a District Taco promo code for $3 OFF an online order of $10 or more, and will be automatically entered in a raffle for a chance to win great prizes, including a Samsung Galaxy Tab, gift cards from Giant Food Stores, VRE commuter train round-trip passes, $25 SmarTrip fare cards, Capital Bikeshare annual memberships, annual Washington Area Bicyclist Association memberships, and more! Raffle prizes were made possible by the generosity of many local businesses who are using this opportunity to support going green and cleaner air for the region.
Pledge participants also have an opportunity to learn about the transportation options, infrastructure, and resources in Prince William County, by playing BINGO. Play for a chance to win a City of Manassas gift card or one of five OmniRide gift bags. Prizes will be mailed to the winners after they have been contacted.
Commuter Connections is a program of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). Commuter Connections promotes bicycling to work, ridesharing, and other alternatives to drive alone commuting; provides ridematching for carpools and vanpools; and offers the free Guaranteed Ride Home program. Commuter Connections is funded by the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the U.S. Departments of Transportation.
OmniRide’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program assists employers to coordinate ridesharing and implement teleworking and commuter benefits programs for their employees. OmniRide TDM also partners with other agencies on transportation planning and operating initiatives, ridesharing strategies, transportation planning studies, capital project management, policy analysis, and regional coordination.
“Car-Free Day reminds the residents of Prince William County about how we can get out of our SOV’s (Single Occupancy Vehicles) and into a form of transportation to travel and commute throughout the region,” said Holly Morello, OmniRide TDM Manager. “It is our hope that once residents experience how easy it is to use alternative transportation and the many benefits that come with it that they will choose to make this a habit in their daily lives.”
There are many benefits to going car-free for both humans and the planet. Bicycling and walking are great ways to stay healthy. Using more sustainable ways to get around helps reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion. The more people who travel using bicycles, buses, trains, carpools and vanpools, the fewer pollutants are released into the atmosphere.
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