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September 7, 2018

Metro Transit Invites Region to Celebrate STL Car-Free Day on September 21

The St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and other regional partners will join Metro Transit to celebrate STL Car-Free Day on Friday, September 21. STL Car-Free Day will feature special events across the bi-state area where visitors can win prizes, enjoy food and music, and have fun while learning about the benefits of a car-free lifestyle and all of the alternative transportation options available to them.

“More and more metropolitan areas throughout the world are looking at car-optional transportation services, which are not only good for the environment and reduce congestion, but deliver tremendous civic and economic benefits as well,” said Jessica Mefford-Miller, interim Executive Director of Metro Transit. “The future of mobility will include a wide variety of car-free options, and we want to help everyone discover new ways to travel – whether it’s public transit, cycling, scooters or ride-sharing – so we can create a brighter future for our region.”

STL Car-Free Day begins during the morning commute on September 21 with a visit from Fredbird, who will surprise passengers on one of the area’s MetroBus routes with free tickets to an upcoming Cardinals game, followed by a lunch-time Transportation Pop-Up in the Cortex Innovation Community with food trucks and information from regional transportation partners. Metro Transit riders heading home or traveling to Blues and Cardinals games in downtown St. Louis evening will be able to enjoy live music at the North Hanley and Emerson Park MetroLink Stations, and the St. Louis Blues will host a car-free, pre-game celebration at the Civic Center Transit Center with Blues mascot Louie, the Blues Crew and a Metro Arts in Transit bus painting.

A complete schedule of events, along with information on how to go car-free on September 21, is available at MetroStLouis.org/CarFree. Participating partners include Big Shark Bicycle Company, Bird, City of St. Louis, Cortex, Great Rivers Greenway, Lime, Madison County Transit, Metro Transit, RideFinders, St. Clair County Transit District, Trailnet, University of Missouri Extension, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals.

Car-free transportation options have been shown to provide numerous benefits for the community, including:

  • Less single-occupancy vehicles on the road means less gridlock and delays for everyone, and less of an impact to the environment and regional air quality
  • Local businesses enjoy more success in areas that promote pedestrian and bicycle travel, and people develop stronger civic connections in car-free communities
  • More and more young workers, students and families want to live in areas that support car-free lifestyles, and businesses are looking to locate where they invest in public transit and pedestrian/bike infrastructure
  • Having a strong network of public transit and other car-free transportation options helps remove barriers to allow everyone to pursue careers, education and other opportunities

About Metro Transit

Metro Transit is the operator of the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; approximately 400 vehicle MetroBus fleet that operates on 80 MetroBus routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro Transit is an enterprise of Bi-State Development (BSD), which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport, the Bi-State Development Research Institute, the Gateway Arch Riverboats, and operates the Gateway Arch Trams and Revenue Collections Center. BSD also operates the St. Louis Regional Freightway.

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