Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Mecklenburg County Air Quality, and Charlotte Area NC Air Awareness are partnering to host Don’t Drive Day on Thursday. Anyone who uses a clean commute to work (rides the bus, carpools, telecommutes, rides the LYNX Blue Line, walks, bikes or vanpools) can enter to win:
GRAND PRIZE: an Apple iPad provided by N.C. Air Awareness;
- A $100 Harris Teeter gift certificate donated by Harris Teeter (for first time clean commuters);
- Two $50 Queen City Cycles gift cards donated by Queen City Cycles; or
- A one-year membership to B-cycle bicycle sharing program donated by Alta Planning + Design.
Also, Charlotte B-cycle will offer free 30-minute rides by waiving the normal daily membership fee in observance of Don't Drive Day 2012 (overage fees will be imposed to promote sharing of the bicycles).
Vehicle exhaust is the primary source of air pollution in the Charlotte region and is the main contributor to ground-level ozone formation. The Charlotte region has exceeded federal health-based standards 14 days so far this summer, with one month left in the ozone season. “Reducing the number of miles you travel in your personal vehicle is critical to improving our air quality,” Don Willard, Director of Mecklenburg County Air Quality, said. Residents in the Charlotte region can reduce the number of miles driven by choosing one of the clean commutes promoted by Don’t Drive Day.
Why stress about traffic while going to work and coming home? One previous Don’t Drive Day participant said: “I was given 45 minutes of time back by riding the bus this morning. Normally this time would be spent frustrated and focusing on the road. This morning I was able to calmly catch up on email and prepare for my day.”
Why not make the daily commute more enjoyable with friends? Another participant from a past Don’t Drive Day enjoyed sharing the ride: “You start talking and before you know it, you have arrived at work. It's a win-win situation: I save money, I'm helping to save our Earth and I have fun catching up with my sister.”
Commuters who try an eligible alternative to driving to work alone on Thursday can enter to win prizes at www.DontDriveDay.org or by phone at 704-336-7433. Entries are due by noon on Friday, Sept. 28, and winners must live or work in the Charlotte ozone non-attainment area, which includes Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Rowan, Union and York (SC) counties. For more information BEFORE Sept. 27, call 704-336-5430.