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Commuting Options: Information & Resources
On May 21, the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County recognized the CommuteInfo program with an award in acknowledgment of the program’s targeted outreach efforts within the Route 30 corridor. In order to reach more regional commuters and employers, the CommuteInfo program began a focused effort to increase the level of participation in ridesharing arrangements within specific suburban travel corridors and employment centers. CommuteInfo began this effort in 2008, in the Route 30 corridor in Westmoreland County. A coalition of interested individuals have come together to form a Westmoreland Route 30 Corridor Advisory Team. The CommuteInfo staff and advisory team members have met with employers and commuters in the Route 30 corridor to provide technical assistance and commuting alternative resource information. These efforts have contributed to 176 commuters from the outreach area registering with the CommuteInfo program; 90 of those report participating in a registered CommuteInfo vanpool. Over 55% of those registered have changed their commuting habits. Results from May’s On-line Commuter Questionnaire Each year, during the month of May, the CommuteInfo program posts a questionnaire on the CommuteInfo website asking visitors to the website for information about their commute. The survey is designed to help build a regional commuter profile. Thanks to all of you who participated. During May of 2009, over 100 responses were received (more than 4 percent of those visiting the website during that time). A few of the observations from these responses are:
(The CommuteInfo Emergency Ride Home service is a safety net for commuters in the event of an unexpected personal or family emergency, personal illness, unscheduled overtime, or other eligible event. The service is currently available to those commuters registered with the CommuteInfo program who are registered as part of a bikepool, carpool or vanpool). We appreciate your participation and look forward to learning more from our next questionnaire in May 2010. The CommuteInfo program sponsors webinars on commuting alternatives, employer transportation programs and other related topics. There is no cost to attend, but you do need to sign up to get the log-in information. The next CommuteInfo webinar will be held Thursday, November 5th from Noon – 1 PM. The topic is Winter Weather Driving & Safety Tips. Dave Pritt, the Safety Press Officer from PennDOT District 11 will be the speaker. The session will include general tips for winter weather driving and resources to inform you of road conditions. Also learn how these driving tips can help make your commute safer. Learn more about the webinars and/or to register for the Winter Weather Driving &Safety Tips session on-line, visit: http://www.commuteinfo.org/comm_webinar.shtml. Bike Pittsburgh (BikePGH) has joined forces with a wide range of partners in Southwestern Pennsylvania to encourage commuting by transit, vanpool, carpool or biking. BikePGH is a membership based bicycle advocacy organization serving cyclists in Pittsburgh.
How can you participate? Don’t drive alone on Fridays - take transit, carpool, vanpool, walk or join one of the bikepools departing from neighborhoods throughout the city and going to major commuting destinations such as Downtown Pittsburgh, Oakland and the South Side. Help spread the word to co-workers, friends, neighbors, etc. Keep checking back to the Car Free Fridays site for announcements of breakfasts, discounts, and specials on Fridays throughout the year. Transportation 101 – Upcoming Sessions What is transportation101? It’s a half-day training course for human services professionals. Through a “train the trainer” model, Transportation 101 teaches participants how to let their clients know what transportation options are available—and how to use them. The next session of Transportation 101 will be held on October 20, 2009 in downtown Pittsburgh. Please feel free to pass along this information to your co-workers and colleagues who may be interested in attending this 1/2 day training session on Transportation options in Allegheny County. Registration is free, but you must preregister for this event. If you would like to pre-register contact Amy Mathieson at the Airport Corridor Transportation Association at amy.mathieson@alleghenycounty.us or 412.809.3508. New PennDOT Web Site Designed To Enhance Highway Safety Motorists have greater access to highway safety resources through a new traffic safety Web site, designed by PennDOT called DriveSafePA.org. The site is part of PennDOT’s new highway safety campaign, Drive Safe PA, which aims to save at least 100 or more lives on Pennsylvania highways each year. DriveSafePA.org offers information and tips on highway safety topics including: aggressive driving, bicycle/pedestrian, child passenger safety, heavy trucks, engineering infrastructure, impaired driving, mature drivers, motorcycle safety, school bus safety, seat belts, work zones and young drivers. Each of these areas is highlighted as part of an interactive quiz that allows motorists to test their highway safety knowledge. In addition, the Web site contains educational resources, including videos, radio public service announcements and traffic safety brochures. DriveSafePA.org will also include a monthly update on Pennsylvania traffic fatalities. ZIPCAR Launches a New Pricing Package
Zipcar members can reserve most of ZipCar’s fleet for just $34 from 6 PM until 8:30 AM the following day Monday through Thursday. That works out to having a Zipcar at your disposal for more than 14 hours for less than $2.50 per hour, gas and insurance included. You just take it home with you at the end of your workday and then return it to the same parking spot. For more information on this new overnight rate, go to: http://www.zipcar.com/overnight. And, if you are interested in joining Zipcar, you can take advantage of a discounted individual membership offer for CommuteInfo partners and participants. You can join now for just $25 (a savings of $50) and you will receive $50 in free driving credit. Just go to www.zipcar.com/commuteinfo to apply. If you have any questions about Zipcar, contact Ed Harkins at eharkins@zipcar.com. Commuting Options: Information & Resources Port Authority Releases Final Transit Development Plan Proposal Port Authority of Allegheny County released a proposal to improve bus and light rail service starting next year and keep its base fare at $2. Implementation of the proposed plan would affect the majority of Port Authority’s 220,000 daily riders. Changes would begin in March 2010 and be phased in over the next few years. Details of the proposal now are available on the Authority’s Web site at tdp.portauthority.org. The draft report is also available for review in numerous locations, including Port Authority’s offices and Downtown Service Center, and at many libraries across Allegheny County. To learn more about transit, visit the “Transit” page on the CommuteInfo website: http://www.commuteinfo.org/comm_options_transit.shtml. Vanpool Groups Looking for Riders
Several vanpool groups have seats available. You can view the entire list of vanpool groups by clicking here. These are the groups with the highest number of seats available: Origin: Emlenton (Group V511) Origin: Canonsburg (Group V115) Origin: White Oak (Group V206) To obtain a complete list of vanpool groups that match your particular commute, fill out a commuter profile today by clicking here or by calling 1-888-819-6110. If vanpooling works for you, you can join on either a full-time or part-time basis. Learn more about the vanpool program on the CommuteInfo website. Carpool Groups Looking for Riders Origin: Warrendale (C936) Origin: West Newton (CD052) Origin: Monroeville (C1245) Also, please tell other people about carpooling and how it might be an option for them. More information about the carpool program can be found on the CommuteInfo website. To obtain a complete list of carpool groups that match your particular commute, fill out a commuter profile today by clicking here or by calling 1-888-819-6110. If carpooling works for you, you can join on either a full-time or part-time basis. Also, if you know someone who might be looking for an alternative to driving alone, then tell them about CommuteInfo and carpooling. More information about the carpool program can be found on the CommuteInfo website. If you are already carpooling and want to register your carpool with CommuteInfo, registering takes less than 5 minutes – each person in the group completes a commuter profile and in the “other comments” section, simply state that they are part of a carpool and tell us who else is in the carpool. Learn more about the benefits of registering your carpool with CommuteInfo or contact us to find out what specific options are available for you. New Information Resource for Bike Commuters
Check out the rest of the tips on-line: http://www.commuteinfo.org/pdf/BikeCard.pdf Looking for Someone to Share Your Biking Commute Are you or someone you know considering riding a bike to work or school? CommuteInfo can help find a bikepool buddy. The process works the same way as finding someone to carpool with --- complete the commuter profile on-line or over the phone by calling 1-888-819-6110 and we will send you a matchlist with other people interested in biking to work or school. Also, tell other people about bikepooling and how it might be an option for them. More information about the bikepool program can be found on the CommuteInfo website. The registered bikepool groups below are currently looking for additional participants: Origin: Highland Park/East Liberty (Group A) Origin: Squirrel Hill (Group B) Origin: Squirrel Hill (Group C)
A new Street Smarts safety information card has been developed. Street Smarts is an educational campaign to provide bicycling and walking safety information to commuters. The card includes safety tips for commuters who walk to work or school. Some of the tips include:
Check out the rest of the tips on-line: http://www.commuteinfo.org/pdf/WalkCard.pdf Please help us get the word out about walking safely to work or school. Send the link to this information to your co-workers, family members and friends. To learn more about walking, teleworking, flextime or compressed work weeks, visit the “Other Options” page on the CommuteInfo website: http://www.commuteinfo.org/comm_options_other.shtml [ top ]
We are always looking for community events or speaking opportunities where CommuteInfo can be represented – please email us with your ideas! We are interested in your story ideas for this e-newsletter – please email us with your ideas!
The CommuteInfo program is designed to increase the number of people who use transit, vanpooling, carpooling or bikepooling to travel to work or school. The goal is for commuters living, working or attending school within the 10-county Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission region (including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties) to choose ridesharing at least twice a week by providing them with viable options, incentives and encouragement. CommuteInfo is also an information clearinghouse and resource center for commuters and employers. With approximately 60% of the Southwestern Pennsylvania region's 1.5 million workers traveling outside of their resident municipality to work each day, finding a better way to work is clearly an integral part of life for the region’s employers and workers. CommuteInfo is a program of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), coordinated in partnership with transportation management associations, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit service organizations throughout Southwestern PA.
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You have received this message because you have signed up for the e-newsletter on the CommuteInfo website. If you have received this in error or no longer wish to receive messages from CommuteInfo, please reply to this message with your unsubscribe request. Thanks again for your interest in commuting alternatives and CommuteInfo . . . a better way to work. |
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Car Free Fridays is a series of events held on Fridays, sponsored by BikePGH to encourage the use of commuting options. Car Free Fridays promotes all modal options - transit, walking, biking, and ride share as a singular alternative to one person driving one car to work.
Zipcar has just launched a new pricing package that is perfect for anyone who doesn’t drive into downtown Pittsburgh, but could occasionally need a car at night because of an emergency, bad weather, for errands or just for a night on the town. ZipCar is a national “car rental by the hour” company. ZipCar’s local office is located in downtown Pittsburgh.
