In August, the Village of Arlington Heights and its Bicycle Advisory Commission organized a “car-free day” to encourage residents to leave their cars parked at home and head downtown by foot and bicycle.  The event, part of the Taste of Arlington Heights festival and other downtown events, was designed to fill the streets with people and activities and to raise awareness of Village efforts to make biking and walking easier, safer, and a more popular mode of transportation.  Local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, the Arlington Heights Bicycle Club, and advocacy groups praised the car-free day as a way to promote walkability and bikeability and to educate cyclists and drivers about safety, rules-of-the-road, and the advantages of increasing non-motorized travel.  The Village offered valet bike parking as part of the event.  Arlington Heights bikeway maps are available online at Bicycle Advisory Commission website.