Town Urges Residents To Leave Cars Home Friday

EAST HAMPTON, NY — East Hampton town officials are asking residents to take the pledge and leave their cars at home on Friday.

East Hampton officials are participating in the international "Car Free Day" event on September 25. Residents are urged to walk, bike, carpool, telecommute, or use public transportation to reduce traffic, conserve energy, and reduce harmful emissions, a release said.

The event aims to encourage the use of sustainable modes of transportation. Residents are asked to consider the negative impacts of single occupancy vehicles and experience a day with less traffic congestion, a greener environment, and reduced energy use, officials said.

Last year, 5,824 Long Islanders pledged to be car-free or “car light,” on Car Free Day, avoiding
an estimated 128,000 miles of driving, and 64 tons of Co2 emissions, the town's release said.

In addition, the Town of East Hampton earned a Silver Award for participation in 2019, and officials said they hope to best that prize year. The town was included among the top seven municipal participants recognized for having the most pledges last year. Members of the town staff, including Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, arrived at Town Hall by bike that day, and a number of people from various departments brought their lunches in order to avoid car trips to pick up food. Staffers gathered together at Town Hall to eat together, the release said.

Those who fill out a pledge form here are eligible to win one of two bicycles in a prize drawing.