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Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on August 26, 2009 at 5:04pm

The campaign is hosted by the Active Transportation Alliance and our regional transit agencies, RTA, Pace, Metra and CTA.

i'm wondering if the transit agencies be doing anything besides business-as-usual on those days? it'd be really encouraging to see the CTA offer "penny rides" on car-free day... but i'm not holding my breath.

Chicagoland Car Free Day is a regional campaign encouraging people to leave their cars at home on Sept. 22 and explore getting around by biking, walking and transit.

but only on the 22nd, mmkay folks?

...i find it frustrating that this campaign a) assumes everyone has a car; and b) only wants them to leave it at home for one day. ah well, perhaps i'm not the target audience.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 27, 2009 at 2:34am

Hey Lauren,

Definitely good points and questions.

Background: this is a pilot campaign for us that we've put together fairly quickly, so we're really excited that the transit agencies are on board and will help promote it in the news, email blasts, their websites, etc. (Pace will print advertising "car cards" that will go in all 625 buses!).

If we can get a lot of people (5,000+) to take the pledge, it will give us more leverage to ask transit agencies to commit budget to the effort in future years. For this year, the only budget we have is the "$1 off a large drink" from Caribou...which is pretty great to have that incentive.

So, definitely don't hold your breath but maybe keep your fingers crossed for 2010 and beyond.

You are a target audience in that we'd love to have you take the pledge and spread the word, especially because you are car-free (or mostly car-free, I think you are but don't want to make absolute assumptions here...).

You make a good point about the messaging assuming everyone has a car and that it's focused on one day...I just posted our basic copy here on the Chainlink to get it out instead of customizing it a bit for this community (my bad).

I will work with our communications director, Margo and explore making some adjustments...your feedback is definitely valid.

But, we are hoping that www.chicagolandcarfree.org will become a year-round resource with a big focus on World Car-Free Day (every 9/22) and potentially a couple of other campaign pushes throughout the year. We're still working on the links section and plans for beyond 9/22.

Thanks,
Ethan, with Active Trans

lauren sailor said:

The campaign is hosted by the Active Transportation Alliance and our regional transit agencies, RTA, Pace, Metra and CTA.

i'm wondering if the transit agencies be doing anything besides business-as-usual on those days? it'd be really encouraging to see the CTA offer "penny rides" on car-free day... but i'm not holding my breath.

Chicagoland Car Free Day is a regional campaign encouraging people to leave their cars at home on Sept. 22 and explore getting around by biking, walking and transit.

but only on the 22nd, mmkay folks?

...i find it frustrating that this campaign a) assumes everyone has a car; and b) only wants them to leave it at home for one day. ah well, perhaps i'm not the target audience.

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Permalink Reply by Gin on August 27, 2009 at 3:08am

One easy tweak I used in my email to promote this was to pledge to go (or remain!) car-free on that day. Also, Break the Gridlock will be sponsoring a One Million Less Cars rally that evening, ending in the Bike Winter Kick-Off Meeting. Some details below, more to follow. Would love some help from Chainlinkers to make this a great event. Thanks to Active Trans for getting the car-free day campaign rolling in our region. Even if you are car-free, make the pledge to show support.
***
BTG will be hosting a rally/networking/self-propelled action, "One Million Less Cars!" at Daley Plaza, starting at 5:30pm, leaving at 6pm, ending at the Bike Winter Kick-Off Meeting. The idea is that we spread love and thanks for walkers, bikers, skaters, bladers, transit users etc downtown. . . . and encourage the drivers hitting the highway ramps to join us next time. Details to follow. Let me know if you want to help organize.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on August 27, 2009 at 9:41am

done!

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Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on August 27, 2009 at 9:35pm

thanks for the thoughtful reply, ethan, as well as some insight into the process. hopefully this 9/22 will be a huge success so that future car-free days can offer even more incentives! (and you did assume correctly: i have been car-free for 24 years now...)

and gin, your addition of pledging to go "(or remain!)" car-free was spot-on.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 28, 2009 at 4:27am

Hey M.A.R.K.,

Active Trans did provide the map info for the (coming soon) bike/walk routing on RTA's trip planner www.goroo.com.

We'll be putting all these suggestions up on the "Links & Resources" page of the Chicagoland Car-Free Day site, hopefully early next week. Trip planners, Google walking (until Goroo is ready), Bikes on Metra, our bike commuting resources, CTA Bike & Ride, Pace Bikes info, etc.

When you see it, please feel free to recommend anything that is missing, we appreciate the feedback.

Ethan, with Active Trans

M.A.R.K. said:

And this why we love you Lauren!
The Penny Ride idea is genius and perhaps can be brought up next year with the CTA as I don't imagine they will go for it it's first year out and so close to the actual date. And perhaps the same can be done for Pace suburban buses and a drastically reduced rate for Metra riders. I won't hold my breath on Metra though.
In the same, I would love to see the ATA maybe step it up next year if it takes off and offer travel suggestions for people who choose to leave their cars behind outside of the city like bike routes and such. For people where I live, when they get out of their cars, I am fearful that they will know how to get to work safely otherwise. Perhaps suggested bike routes to local buses and trains within the communities that ATA had embedded themselves in kind of like the RTA trip planner or something.

lauren sailor said:

The campaign is hosted by the Active Transportation Alliance and our regional transit agencies, RTA, Pace, Metra and CTA.
i'm wondering if the transit agencies be doing anything besides business-as-usual on those days? it'd be really encouraging to see the CTA offer "penny rides" on car-free day... but i'm not holding my breath. Chicagoland Car Free Day is a regional campaign encouraging people to leave their cars at home on Sept. 22 and explore getting around by biking, walking and transit.
but only on the 22nd, mmkay folks?

...i find it frustrating that this campaign a) assumes everyone has a car; and b) only wants them to leave it at home for one day. ah well, perhaps i'm not the target audience.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 28, 2009 at 4:47am

You are welcome, of course!

Ethan, with Active Trans

lauren sailor said:

thanks for the thoughtful reply, ethan, as well as some insight into the process. hopefully this 9/22 will be a huge success so that future car-free days can offer even more incentives! (and you did assume correctly: i have been car-free for 24 years now...)

and gin, your addition of pledging to go "(or remain!)" car-free was spot-on.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 28, 2009 at 4:49am

You can also order tea or a delicious smoothie and save $1.

Ethan, with Active Trans

Rautenberg said:

no problem, but caribou coffee???

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Permalink Reply by Natalie on August 28, 2009 at 4:59am

Ahhh! Bike Winter kickoff on Sept. 22? No, I'm not ready to think about winter! We haven't even had a proper summer! The upside: fewer thugs hanging out on the street beating cyclists senseless for sport.

Gin said:

One easy tweak I used in my email to promote this was to pledge to go (or remain!) car-free on that day. Also, Break the Gridlock will be sponsoring a One Million Less Cars rally that evening, ending in the Bike Winter Kick-Off Meeting. Some details below, more to follow. Would love some help from Chainlinkers to make this a great event. Thanks to Active Trans for getting the car-free day campaign rolling in our region. Even if you are car-free, make the pledge to show support.
***
BTG will be hosting a rally/networking/self-propelled action, "One Million Less Cars!" at Daley Plaza, starting at 5:30pm, leaving at 6pm, ending at the Bike Winter Kick-Off Meeting. The idea is that we spread love and thanks for walkers, bikers, skaters, bladers, transit users etc downtown. . . . and encourage the drivers hitting the highway ramps to join us next time. Details to follow. Let me know if you want to help organize.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on September 15, 2009 at 5:22am

With one week to go, we are 400 pledges away from our first-year goal of 1,000!

If you haven't, please take the pledge to go (or remain) car-free next Tuesday. You'll get a coupon for $1 off a large drink at Caribou Coffee and the satisfaction of doing good for yourself and the environment.

Tell your friends to do it, too!

www.chicagolandcarfree.org

And check out the cool article in yesterday's Sun-Times...great mention of Break the Gridlock's big plans!

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1769153,CST-NWS-ride14b...

Thanks,
Ethan, with Active Trans

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Permalink Reply by heather s on September 15, 2009 at 10:06am

I am pleasantly surprised that the Sun-Times article is not appended by hundreds of angry anti-cyclists comments.

Active Transportation Alliance said:

With one week to go, we are 400 pledges away from our first-year goal of 1,000!

If you haven't, please take the pledge to go (or remain) car-free next Tuesday. You'll get a coupon for $1 off a large drink at Caribou Coffee and the satisfaction of doing good for yourself and the environment.

Tell your friends to do it, too!

www.chicagolandcarfree.org

And check out the cool article in yesterday's Sun-Times...great mention of Break the Gridlock's big plans!

http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/1769153,CST-NWS-ride14b...

Thanks,
Ethan, with Active Trans

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 21, 2009 at 3:29am

This article quotes my co-worker.
He pledged after I told him that there was a dollar-off coupon included. Since he rarely drives during the week, he does fit the requirement. Of course, as soon as he signs up ATA calls him to see whether he wants to be interviewed for the paper. Something about not too many pledges in the Western suburbs.
Frank

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