Government > City Departments/Offices > Transportation > Clean Commute Annapolis

"As a cyclist I appreciate all that your organization does for us and am glad to be apart of it. Having bike racks on the buses is particularly helpful, I came form Baltimore city where they have none and it is a great help to bikers to have those racks. Thank you again for all you efforts and for making a difference in our community."

Clean Commute Annapolis Initiatives

Clean Commute initiatives are programs sponsored by Annapolis Department of Transportation to help encourage commuters in and around Annapolis to choose an alternative to driving alone.

Bike To Work Day - This annual event is celebrated across the region. The Bike To Work Day rally, held downtown Annapolis, draws more than one hundred bike commuters. Kick off the clean commute season by registering and attending the rally nearest you.

Fare-less Cab - To encourage commuters to bike, walk or carpool, the city offers its Guaranteed Ride Home program to local employers wishing to provide an emergency taxi-ride home valid up to $50 one-way fare.

Free Wheelin' - This transportation alternative is perfect for visitors to Annapolis or boaters running errands.  Sign out a bike for free at the Harbormasters, June-October, and see Annapolis in a new way.

Take-A-Step - A map outlining the bus routes, bike and walking trails of Annapolis.

Student Discount program & Summer Youth Pass - Designed to encourage the city's younger residents to take advantage of clean commuting options, these two programs offer deep discounts to riders ages 12-18. The Student Discount program runs Labor Day- June 15th. The Summer Youth Pass operates June 15th - Labor Day.

Your Clean Commuting Options:

Annapolis Transit offers nine fixed bus routes and two free shuttles to downtown from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

One Less Car (OLC) - find out the safest way to commute by bike and what tools are necessary to effectively bike commute. All Annapolis Transit buses are equipped with bike racks. Try commuting half way into the city and ride the bus the rest of the way.

ARTMA - find other commuters riding into the Annapolis area by signing up for the area's Rideshare program.

Telecommute - Find out how your organization can best implement a telework program, identify a consultant with telework expertise in your industry.

Walking - It's easy, its healthy and the best way to get there on nice days. Plus, you could always take a bus home.

Why Clean Commute?

It improves air quality and decreases nitrogen pollution of the Chesapeake Bay!

Annapolis is part of a region classified as a severe non-attainment area by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2002, the region had 17 "Code Red" bad air days. A Code Red day means that the air quality was so poor to be harmful to most citizens. Lower ratings, Orange and Yellow, can be hazardous to sensitive populations such as the elderly or children.

Automobiles contribute a significant amount of pollution that causes Code Red days. Single occupancy vehicles (commuters driving alone) account for 20% of emissions in the air. Maryland has seen an increase in average daily miles driven annually, by commuters, from just under 120 million miles in 1990 to over 140 million in 2003. As the vehicle miles traveled rises, so do pollutants in the air and traffic congestion.

During the summer of 2003, the Chesapeake Bay experienced one of the largest dead zones ever recorded, stretching more than 150 miles from north of the Bay Bridge to the York River in Virginia. This dead zone, an area of water so polluted and void of oxygen that life ceased to exist, contributed to record low harvests of crabs and oysters. Excess nitrogen, more than any other pollutant, is responsible for the Bay's continued decline and was the primary cause of the dead zone.

Consider that:

• exclusive use of an automobile as one's choice to commute excludes the use of other options that may be beneficial to one's health: riding a bicycle or walking
• carpooling with others can provide an opportunity to socialize while saving gas and pollution
• taking transit provides time to de-stress, perhaps read the paper or relax
• using clean commuting options can save money, relieve stress and help clean the air to help everyone breathe better

At a minimum, try an alternative during Clean Commute Month (May) or commit to clean commute occasionally throughout the summer, when the area is prone to have more Code Red days. If nothing else, clean commuting may serve as a convenient option when you need it.