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Commuters were urged to leave their cars at home and find other ways to get around Tuesday.
Montgomery County officials joined the international "Car Free Day" to encourage residents to use alternative forms of transportation. The goal is to get more motorists to take public transit to cut down on crowded rush hours and reduce pollution.
Montgomery County Commuter Services staff members were at Silver Spring, Bethesda, Grosvenor-Strathmore Wheaton and Friendship Heights Metrorail stations Tuesday morning to sign up commuters for drawings to win prizes such as transit fare cards, walking shoes and a bicycle.
"People throughout the region are re-evaluating their relationship with the car," said Art Holmes, director of the county Department of Transportation, in a statement. "This is great news for transit and great news for the environment. I encourage everyone to try transportation alternatives that will help us relieve congestion and the stress of commuting."
An informal survey at the Metro stations showed that at least some commuters were taking the train in response to the Car Free Day, said Sam Oji, senior planning specialist with the transportation department.
People who try public transit might decide there are benefits to leaving their cars home every day, he said.
"That is our goal," Oji said. "That's why we constantly participate in events like this, so we hope they have a good experience and see the benefits of leaving their car at home or just going part way to work with a car."
A new study from Environment America and the Coalition for Smarter Growth, released Tuesday at a Capitol Hill press conference, showed transit use was up in 2008 nationwide and in the Washington, D.C., region and remains strong this year, leading to significant energy savings and reductions in fossil fuel emissions.
For more information on county commuter services, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/commute or call 240-773-2989.
Deer dodging season begins
Montgomery County police issued a warning to those driving after sundown and before sunrise to be on the lookout for white-tailed deer.
The deer become more active in October and November during their fall mating season.
Last year, the county recorded at least 1,841 vehicle crashes with deer. The actual number is likely higher because many motorists who can still drive their vehicle after a collision do not report the crashes to police.
Police urged motorists to be vigilant for deer in the early morning and evening hours, when the animals are most active. Be on the lookout for silhouettes of deer and the "eye shine" as headlights reflect in the eyes of the deer, police said.
If one deer is spotted on the side of the road, slow down because there likely are more nearby, police said.
If a deer is struck and a person is injured, call 911, but if a deer carcass is on the road or beside it, call the police nonemergency number at 301-279-8000.
Bethesda traffic signal confuses nonresidents
A Bethesda reader recently asked:
"To prevent neighborhood cut-through during rush hour, Montgomery County reconfigured a number of intersections, which require drivers to turn right or left, even though the road they are driving on continues through. The intersection of Fernwood and Democracy is one. As a resident along Fernwood Road, I appreciate the reduced traffic; however, for non-area residents it creates a traffic problem.
"The traffic signals don't indicate left-turning drivers have right-of-way; confusing to those unfamiliar with the intersections. If even one or two motorists wait for opposing traffic to clear before turning left during rush hour, traffic backs up very quickly and takes an hour or more to clear.
"Of course, this could easily be resolved with green arrows, instead of solid green circles. All drivers recognize an arrow means they can proceed with right-of-way. Has this not been considered in the past?"
Todd Moniot, Bethesda
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has reviewed the question and studied the intersection. Here is the county DOT's response from spokesman Thomas D. Pogue:
"MCDOT recognizes that the configuration of the intersection of Fernwood Road and Democracy Boulevard is not typical. However, traffic turning left from southbound Fernwood Road is not unopposed. Northbound right-turning traffic proceeds at the same time, so it would not be appropriate to provide green arrows."
Do not laminate MARC tickets
MARC officials reminded commuter train riders to not laminate their paper train tickets.
The lamination process may make the tickets unreadable, and lost, damaged or stolen tickets are nonrefundable and are not replaced, officials said.
