Back in 2007, I was jealous of DC's Carfree Day celebrations. Well, World Carfree Day is coming up once again on Tuesday, Sept. 22, but this year Active Trans is kicking off our very own first annual Chicagoland Car-Free Day! Active Trans is celebrating with a car-free day pledge and a series of partner events. Visit http://www.activetrans.org/carfree to take the pledge and to check out the events. As a bonus, when you take the pledge you get a coupon for $1 off a large drink at Caribou Coffee on Sept. 22. Carfree Day is a great effort to raise the profile of our region's transportation options and create a more positive vibe around transit, biking and walking.

While we Chicagoans fret over the future of our transit system and dread our growing traffic problems, over in DC, residents are enjoying their clean, carpeted trains and celebrating their first official Car Free Day. DC City Council has declared Sept. 18 Car Free Day. Council members found means to work without automobiles, and even the mayor advocated for walking, biking and transit, posing for the press while riding the bus. One of the council members is even hosting a weeklong CarFree Challenge on his website. The weeklong challenge will culminate with a street festival on Saturday. The DC event is actually part of a World Car Free Day. Kind of makes you jealous, doesn't it?