September 22 is World Car-Free Day, celebrated globally and aimed at creating awareness and educating communities about alternatives to driving alone.
“We’re asking you to just change one of your trips within September and pledge, saying you're going to do that,” said Tenille Warren, senior community outreach specialist at Metro Transit. “So instead of driving to go see a movie with the kids, you could take light rail.”
Warren is helping to champion Car-Free MSP, Twin Cities’ participation in World Car-Free Day. The program encourages local drivers to pledge to use an alternative form of transportation like walking, biking, taking the bus or light rail, or carpooling, instead of driving alone for one trip.
Statistics show these choices make a difference. According to the National Household Transportation Survey, if drivers chose to power half of their short trips under a mile by walking or biking, for example, the savings would include $575 million in fuel costs and about 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Twin Cities drivers can also reap the benefits. A 2024 study by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) found that if Minnesotans reduced their driving by 20%, the average household could save $1,720 annually on avoided fuel, maintenance, and vehicle depreciation costs.
“Just once. That’s all we’re asking, is that drivers try something different,” Warren explained.
Warren knows first-hand what it’s like to be car-free. She doesn’t own a car and is an alternative transit advocate. “People think the reason I don’t drive it is because of my job, but that’s only part of it. It’s also my decision between having a car note or having a roof over my head. It made more sense to me to get rid of the car note and get a home.”
Warren says the goal for this year’s Car-Free MSP campaign is to get at least 2,000 drivers to pledge not to drive for one trip in September. Examples of acceptable trips include one bike ride to the store, one light rail ride home, or one longboard ride to class.
Warren says the goal is simple, “We just want to bring awareness that whether it’s biking, taking transit, or carpooling, there are different ways to get around the Metro other than driving by yourself.”
Interested participants can go here, hit the pledge button, and fill out a short form, which takes about 2 minutes.