Share a Ride this Independence Day

image by digitizedchaos used under Creative Commons license

Every Fourth of July, we gather with friends and family across the country for festivities large and small. Unfortunately, many people will need to travel to their celebrations, placing greater demand on our transportation infrastructure and increasing the risk of higher air pollution levels, particularly because summer heats the skies.

When traveling during this patriotic holiday, Clean Air NY asks that you be mindful of your impact on New York’s air quality. Try to find someone to share a ride to your activities. Many people hosting parties and events create pages for them on Facebook, so it can be as easy as going to that page’s wall and writing a post to ask if anyone would like to split driving duties. If you’re the one throwing the party, you can make an event on Facebook and encourage your guests to share rides as well.

Another option is to use mass transit for at least part of your journey. See which train station is closest to your destination and get a ride from there to the event. Not only will this help improve the air quality, but instead of being caught in stressful holiday traffic, you can relax and leave the driving to someone else.

As always, if you have to drive, make sure you avoid idling and topping off your tank. Stop at the “click” to prevent gasoline fumes from escaping into the atmosphere.

Happy Independence Day!