Archive for the ‘Carpool’ Category

Be in the know before you go this Labor Day weekend! Check out these handy holiday weekend travel tips from the Washington State Department of Transportation.

>> Click for Labor Day weekend travel tips 

Have you ever been frustrated with car maintenance issues, the price of gas, parking costs, or even ALL of the above? If so, then maybe you should think about taking the Zipcar Low-Car Diet Challenge.

What is the Low-Car Diet?
For one month, Zipcar is asking you to put down your keys and find out what the Zipcar way of life is all about. Folks from all over North American Zipcar cities will rise to the challenge, committing their keys and their consciences to being car free. They’ll be tweeting, taking photos, and logging miles biked, walked, and driven during their Low-Car Diet experience.

What do you have to do?
Aside from committing to parking your personal vehicle for one month and sharing all the details of your experience, Zipcar asks that you attend the opening and closing ceremonies, where you’ll get to meet your fellow Low-Car Dieters. You may also be asked to give interviews to the press or chronicle your experiences in more depth.

What’s in it for you?
Participants will get their first year Zipcar annual and application fee waived, and driving credit (along with a “car-free” survival kit filled with goodies from our sponsors) for the duration of the program.

So what do you say? Are you up for the Low-Car Diet?
Fill out Zipcar’s questionnaire here. 30 participants per city will be chosen. Low-Car Diet will begin September 14 and end on October 12. Good luck!

RideshareOnline.com recently launched the 2010 summer ridesharing promotion. This year RideshareOnline.com is challenging commuters to be brilliant! when it comes to traveling to and from work. Carpool or vanpool at least 2 days per week between August 9th and September 19th and add those trips to the tracking calendar in RideshareOnline.com for a minimum of one week during the promotion period (8/9/2010 – 9/19/2010). Qualifying participants are  eligible to win a luxury trip (three days, two nights and a $50 gas card for travel expenses at one of 5 premier hotels in Washington, Victoria, BC or Idaho) or an Apple iPad! And as a bonus each week, new or returning RideshareOnline.com registrants will be eligible to win a $50 MasterCard gift card.

This is a no brainer! You’ll save money, reduce wear and tear on your car and spend less on gas during the promotion. You may even decide continue your new commute since sharing the ride is good for you and the environment!

Eligibility Details:
To be qualify for the prize drawings, participants must carpool or vanpool to work at least two days for a minimum of one week during the promotion period, and add their trips to the tracking calendar in RideshareOnline.com. 

Prize Details:

• The RideshareOnline.com grand prize winner will receive an Apple iPad!
• Five people will win three days, two nights, dining credits for two and a $50 gas card for travel expenses at one of the following luxury hotels.
  Grand Pacific Hotel, Victoria, BC. Includes high tea, and round trip transportation from Seattle.
  Coeur d’Alene Resort, Idaho. Includes a lake view room and $150 dining credit.
  Hotel Pan Pacific, Seattle. Includes $75 dining credit at Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar.
  Hotel Davenport, Spokane. Includes $50 dining credit and $100 spa credit.
  Hotel Murano, Tacoma. Includes tickets to the Museum of Glass and breakfast for two.
• PLUS – Each week, one lucky person will WIN $50 just for registering at RideshareOnline.com or running a ridematch during the promotion.

What are you waiting for? Register today and WIN! Visit www.RideshareOnline.com, or call 888-814-1300 to get started in a carpool or vanpool.

In a pilot program this fall, 250 drivers with GPS-enabled smartphones will offer empty seats in their vehicles to 750 riders along the SR 520 corridor, in real time and with no prearrangement. The program, made possible by a $400,000 contract from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT),will test the viability and feasibility of flexible carpooling along the congested east-west link.

Flexible carpooling – also called slugging, casual carpooling, and instant carpooling – is a new option for commuters to get to and from where they need to go by sharing the ride with no prearrangement. This type of carpooling is popular and effective on certain corridors in the Bay Area and DC.

Each ride match will be automatically verified using Avego Corporations’s Shared Transportation system, a smartphone app that combines real-time ridematching with fully automated security features, real-time passenger information, and electronic micro-payments between rider and driver based on vehicle miles traveled.  The system creates an incentive for drivers to conduct at least 20 ride matches per month, resulting in 30,000 fewer trips over the 6-month duration of the pilot.

Avego will partner on the program with Nelson\Nygaard and the University of Washington, who will handle marketing and outreach, and pilot program evaluation, respectively.

For more information, including safety features and project goals, check out what WSDOT and Avego have to say about the pilot. You can also check out Avego in action by watching this video:

Do you think real-time ridesharing will be the answer to the community’s congestion? Is this a service you would use? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

In the spring of 2011, all-electronic tolling will begin on the SR 520 Bridge to help pay for the construction of a new, safer bridge.  Good To Go! electronic tolling uses technology to keep traffic moving with no toll booths, no stopping, and no slowing down.

Customers can set up prepaid accounts linked to a Good To Go! Pass that is installed in your vehicle or linked to your license plate.  Automatic replenishment allows you to never have to worry about running low in your account.  Simply link a bank account or credit card to the account and your Good To Go! account is automatically replenished when you run low. 

As you drive under electronic sensors on the east high rise of the 520 bridge, the toll will be automatically deducted from your prepaid account.  If the driver does not have a prepaid account, a photo will be taken of the vehicle’s license plate, and a bill will be sent in the mail to the vehicle’s registered owner.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has launched an extensive outreach campaign to educate drivers about electronic tolling on the SR 520 Bridge.  To reach as many bridge users as possible, WSDOT is on the radio, in newspapers, online and out in the community.  WSDOT is also meeting with community and business groups throughout the region to answer questions about the SR 520 Bridge electronic tolling program. 

The message is simple:  You can get ready for all-electronic tolling on the SR 520 Bridge by joining the interest list at www.goodtogo520.org, and be among the first to sign up for a Good to Go! Pass in January 2011.  Subscribers will also receive regular updates about rates, account options, special offers and customer service resources.

As the bridge tolling approaches, now is a great time to reconsider your commute options. Although exact toll fares have not yet been set, getting across the bridge other than driving alone (i.e. bus, carpool or vanpool) will drastically cut your overall tolling costs.

Have more questions? Contact WSDOT!

• Leave a message at: 1-888-G2G-WSDOT (1-888-424-9736).  A customer service representative will return your call as soon as possible.
• Email: goodtogotolling@wsdot.wa.gov
• Website: www.goodtogo520.org

Have you logged into your RideshareOnline.com account lately? The next time you visit the RideshareOnline.com website, you will see a fresh new look and expanded services to help you with your commute and your personal trips. You can still find ridematches to form a carpool or vanpool, but new features allow for much more, including:

• A trip calendar to help you earn rewards and track your fuel and greenhouse gas reductions.

• Matching options to find a “Bike Buddy”.

• Expanded ridematching options to include one-time trips, personal trips, and special events.

• Bus options included with your match list (where Google Trip Planning is available).

Employers can also log in to manage their employee transportation programs, promote the benefits of their program to employees, and track and report the reduction in vehicle miles traveled and fuel and greenhouse gas reductions.

What do you think about the new RideshareOnline.com? Is there a new tool that you find most useful? Tell Choose Your Way Bellevue your reaction by posting a comment below!

-Jordan

Bellevue Magic Season and other holiday events are now in full swing. This season, enjoy all the holiday fun without the hassle of sitting in traffic or searching for parking. Take one of 24 Metro and Sound Transit bus routes that pass through the Bellevue Transit Center from locations near and far—Redmond, Everett, Issaquah and Kirkland just to name a few. Most Bellevue Magic Season venues are accessible by bus and a walk of 0.3 miles or less, so get on board and let getting here be part of the adventure. Plan your own excursion using ChooseYourWayBellevue.org or the regional trip planner at http://transit.metrokc.gov.

Also follow these easy travel tips to spend more time enjoying the holiday sights, sounds and celebrations in Downtown Bellevue.

TRY THE NE 4TH STREET EXIT: Driving to the Bellevue Collection? You may save time by skipping NE 8th Street. NE 2nd and NE 10th will help you bypass backups as well. And, if you’re coming from the east side of Bellevue, try the new NE 10th Street overpass bridge.

RIGHT TURN STRATEGY: If The Bravern is your destination, make a right turn into garage entrances on 110th Avenue NE, NE 8th Street or 112th Avenue NE. If you’re traveling west on NE 8th, you can legally make a U-turn at the 110th Avenue NE intersection to get going in the “right” direction.

2+ PEOPLE: Arriving with friends or family in your car? Take advantage of the direct access ramp at NE 6th Street, as well as HOV lanes on I-405, I-90 and parts of SR-520.

ON-STREET PARKING: Park steps from the doors of your favorite shops in Old Bellevue for up to two hours.

WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS: With so much going on downtown, even more people will be out and about on foot. Please use caution when making turns.

TRANSIT:Try the bus. Metro and Sound Transit provide many routes to the Downtown Bellevue Transit Center. Route and schedule information is available at metro.kingcounty.gov and soundtransit.org.

Have a holiday travel idea to share with other Choose Your Way Bellevue readers? Click on the “Add a Comment” link below this post to share your tip!

-Jordan

Climate change. Everyone’s talking about it. But what are we doing about? An article from The Christian Science Monitor about this topic recently caught our eye. It states that “discussion of climate change has been high on domestic and international agendas, but the sad truth is that little has been done to fight it”. So how do we kick our butts in gear to reduce our country’s carbon footprint? Is a recession the only proven condition to get people off the road, subsequently cutting emissions? According to the article’s author, Robert Dujarric, the climate debate must be refocused. The environmental arguments empower some to make change, but not the masses. Instead, Dujarric says to appeal to patriotism. What? American patriotism = lower carbon emissions? Here’s his argument:

Given the location of the world’s petroleum reserves, when Americans pull out their credit cards at the gas pump, they indirectly fund the economies of countries like Iran, Venezuela, Libya, Sudan, and not to mention Al Qaeda (whose financial backers include many who are in the fossil fuels business). Even if the oil sold in the US comes from Alaska, Texas or allies like Norway, American demand drives up the price of the commodity, thereby pumping huge flows of dollars into the treasuries of its enemies. If Americans start thinking about their dependence on oil as equivalent to providing assistance to our enemies, more citizens would be open to looking for and practicing alternatives.

Dujarric doesn’t believe we should throw out the environmental arguments altogether. He instead believes supporting them with a new patriotic message might do the trick to cutting down our oil consumption. What motivates and inspires you to decrease your carbon footprint? Is it saving endangered species and improving air quality or is it protecting US borders? Let us know your thoughts about the climate change debate by submitting a comment below. Also, be sure to calculate your own carbon footprint on our carbon emissions calculator. You may be surprised at what you find!

-Jordan

Fall Wheel Options is back! Join thousands of others across the state who choose not to drive alone to work at least twice during Wheel Options, October 18-31. Log your commutes at www.WheelOptions.org and you could win the trip to Italy with a Rick Steves Best of Rome 7 Day Tour! Eligible wheel options include carpooling and vanpooling, riding the bus or train, bicycling or walking to work, working from home or simply not commuting because of your compressed work week schedule. There are many fantastic prizes, including weekend getaways and your favorite merchant gift cards. All participants will receive a two-for-one coupon courtesy of Amtrak Cascades. What have you got to lose?

-Melissa