Everyone who studies the issue will tell you that cars are bad for the planet, and the less we drive them the better. That’s why the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association is encouraging commuters and employers to participate in World Car Free Day on Friday, September 21. The idea is for employees to walk, bike, take public transit, carpool, or vanpool if possible.
The holiday is a European import. On the other side of the Atlantic, Mobility Week is held from September 18 to 22 on the theme of “multimodality” and rethinking how everyone gets around.
Unfortunately, public transit in the Route 1 corridor is a bit spotty. Among the U.S. 1 editorial staff, only half the employees had a feasible way to commute to our office at Princess Road in Lawrenceville without a car. One staffer who lives in Hamilton Township could get to work in just about an hour with a 39-minute, 47-stop bus ride and about a mile of walking.
One Princeton resident could get to work via two bus rides and a one-mile walk, while another, who lives elsewhere in Princeton would face a commute of more than two hours on the same plodding bus routes.
An editor who lives in Burlington County would have to drive four miles to a train station, then take three buses and a train. He would have to leave for work at 4 a.m. to get to work on time, and get home at 10:15 p.m.
