Group Challenges Workers To Find Better Ways To Commute
Source: Topix.net 27601
Advocates of alternative forms of transportation threw down the gauntlet Monday, challenging area commuters to find other ways to get to work.
SmartCommute@RTP, which coordinates transportation for companies in Research Triangle Park to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, launched the SmartCommute Challenge to get people thinking about more fuel-efficient ways to get to work. Through the end of September, area workers can sign a pledge to telecommute, ride a bike, form a carpool or take mass transit for at least one day during the challenge period.
“It’s all on the honor system, but with the price of gas, taking an alternate route is an easy thing to do, and it saves you money,” said Amy Armbruster, of the Triangle Transit Authority, a member of SmartCommute@RTP.
Scott Dunn sat behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle for years before ditching it because of high gas prices. “I don’t see how people can afford (gas) right now. I just saw $2.50 a gallon,” Dunn said. “I don’t think there is a true solution, but we have to figure out something.”
Aneal Artis also stopped commuting by car and started taking the bus to work. “It’s a lot cheaper to take the bus,” Artis said. “You have a lot of options around you. It’s just whether or not you want to choose those avenues or not.”
To encourage participation, the SmartCommute Challenge is offering prizes like a week’s vacation anywhere in the continental U.S., laptop computers, iPods and bikes.
“I think just being able to save some money is prize enough,” Dunn said.
In late 2001, my car developed a mechanical problem that required a rather expensive repair. It took me six months to save the money. During that time, I occasionally risked driving the car, but since it wasn’t reliable or safe I spent a considerable amount of time and energy into looking for transportation alternatives. I found them. In fact, I found many of them. Although I did eventually get my car fixed, I’ve never forgotten those six months and how it felt to not have to worry about where I left my car or whether I’d have to go back for it if I decided to go somewhere with a friend. I also lost nearly twenty pounds just from walking everywhere instead of driving. In retrospect, I’m glad those six months happened. I’d never give up my driver’s license, but there’s a certain amount of freedom in knowing that my vehicular status has no bearing on my ability to live my life.
Anyone who’s known me since then has probably either heard me use the phrase “car addiction” or mention the fact that even though parking in downtown Raleigh is at a premium, I refused to rent a parking space even though I was eligible for one. I saw no need for one; most of the time I just took the bus. Many people told me I was crazy or risking my life. I never understood why; in fact, I was generally safer on the buses than I was in my car. Now that I’m no longer working in downtown Raleigh, I’m driving more, but a consultation with my pocketbook this past weekend had me beginning to look into transit options. Finding out about this challenge (I have already signed up) is just icing on the cake.
In rural North Carolina where I grew up, a lack of a vehicle meant a lack of accessibility to necessities such as a place to purchase food. Many people I know in Raleigh grew up in areas similar to that and the thought of giving up a car would never even cross their minds; as a result, despite the fact that Raleigh is not a large city we have some of the worst air quality in the nation, and traffic isn’t much better. I had the same problem before being forced to give up my car. Perhaps the looming gasoline crisis — granted, supply is still there, but I certainly can’t be the only one getting priced out of the market — will bring a silver lining that might lead to better air quality and more taxpayer support of the wonderful transit options that are out there. I know better than to count on it, but it’s an ill wind that blows no good at all.
The URL for the SmartCommute Challenge is http://www.smartcommute.org. Considerable information about transit alternatives in the Triangle is available at http://www.gotriangle.org. Triangle Transit Authority and Share the Ride NC offer information about carpooling, vanpooling and transit.