SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica will be launching Car Free Friday beginning Friday, October 7 and continuing each Friday after, according to a press release from the city of Santa Monica. Car Free Friday encourages all Santa Monica residents, workers and businesses to go car free one day a week and use sustainable transportation instead. The city of Santa Monica will be providing incentives, tips and support for people to shift to being car-free and walking, biking, taking the train, or taking the bus once a week.

“Car Free Friday is a great opportunity to try transit for people who have thought about it, but haven’t take the leap into convenience,” Constance Farrell, Public Information Coordinator, told Canyon News in an email. “Getting out of your car is good for your health and the environment and it’s so easy to do in Santa Monica! Try it and experience the benefits.”

Some ways residents, workers and businesses can get involved in Car Free Friday are:

  • Get friends, family, students, or customers excited about Car Free Friday. Check out this toolkit for ways to get your team involved!
  • Put up a GoSaMo window sticker at your favorite business to help customers navigate the closest BBB stop, Expo station, or Breeze station. Request a sticker by filling out this form.
  • Organize your own local tryathlon –an adventure by foot, bike, or transit.
  • Share the #CarFreeFriday Facebook event and invite your community to be a part of a healthier future in Santa Monica.

Those outside and inside Santa Monica can follow the event on social media using the hashtags #GoSaMo and #CarFreeFriday. Santa Monica offers several methods of sustainable transportation through their GoSaMo campaign including the Expo Light Rail, Breeze Bikes, the Big Blue Bus and Zipcar. For more information on GoSamo for smgov.net/gosamo.

“Santa Monica has more transportation options than ever before and they are integrated! For instance, you can take the Expo Line into Santa Monica from Downtown Los Angeles,” Farrell told Canyon News. “Once you’re here, every Expo Line connects with Big Blue Bus and Breeze Bike Share. Breeze and bus across every corner of the city. Plus, Santa Monica is super walkable. In the Downtown, 12 new pedestrian scrambles and enhancements like the Colorado Esplanade and the California Incline’s dedicated pedestrian and bike lane have elevated both the biking and walking experience in the heart of the city. Train, bus, bike, walk—there are so many ways to GoSaMo.”

Some resources available for those interested in Car Free Friday are the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/836734773127641/, a toolkit http://bit.ly/toolkitcarfree and the sign-up form at http://bit.ly/carfreeform. For more information an email can be sent to communications@smgov.net.