People Choosing Smarter Travel Options with Curb the Congestion

Curb the Congestion is better than ever with the addition of two new corridors and a new incentive!

Since 2008, Community Transit and Snohomish County have partnered to offer Curb the Congestion, a program that reduces traffic congestion, parking demand and greenhouse gases on local roadways. The program offers resources and rewards to residents and employees who use smart travel options such as bus, carpooling, vanpooling, biking or walking.  We have seen pretty dramatic results over the years with over 2,750 participants removing:

·         Over 250,000 trips from local congested roadways

·         4.6  million pounds of CO2 from our air

·          5.3 million miles of driving alone

This year the program expanded to provide resources and rewards to people traveling on these four congested Snohomish County roadways:

• 128th Street (between Everett and Mill Creek)
• 164th Street SW/SE (between Lynnwood and Mill Creek)
• NEW 196th Street (between Edmonds and I-5)
• NEW Bothell-Everett Highway (between 128th Street and downtown Bothell)

Choose a smarter trip on one of these corridors at least 8 days a month and you could win the following incentives. 

·     Monthly Rewards: Receive $50 a month for three months!

• Continue to log smarter trips to qualify for a $150 drawing each month and earn a coupon for a discount or free item at a local business through our NEW Preferred Partner Reward program.
• Recruiter Rewards: Earn up to $100 a year when you refer friends, neighbors or co-workers.

For more information on the program or assistance with your travel options, contact our Curb the Congestion Outreach Specialist at (425) 438-6136 or CurbIt@commtrans.org.

 

Athena’s story is a great example of how the Curb the Congestion program works!

Athena Parker of Mill Creek first learned about Curb the Congestion when she read a brochure.  She went home and signed up.  

Athena says, “It was nice that I could win but I really started putting in my hours to show that people do use the buses every day and that bus service is a valued thing.”

“When I ride I save myself the stress of driving and I give myself some more time to work. Since I'm a college student, anything that I can do to make my time easier and stress free is awesome. Riding the bus also saves me the cost of buying a parking permit each quarter and gas for my old car. And that saves me around $180 dollars a quarter.”

Dump the Pump – Save a Fortune, Share the Ride

This Thursday, June 20, is the 8^th Annual National Dump the Pump Day sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.   Community Transit will be joining transit agencies from across the country to encourage people to leave their cars at home for the day and instead share the ride to work, school or just for fun! 

 

By riding the bus, vanpooling, carpooling, biking or walking instead of driving alone even a few days a week, drivers can save money, relieve stress and help the environment.

·         A two-person household can save more than $9,700 a year by downsizing to one car.

·         Every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns.

·         Public transportation use in the United States saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.

·         Using alternatives to driving alone has saved Washington commuters almost 8.3 million gallons of gasoline annually with a fuel savings of nearly $32 million.

·         Using an alternative to driving alone just one day per week can reduce your commute costs by 20%.

If you are unsure of what smart transportation options work best for you, visit Community Transit’s website and check out all the great tools we have to make sharing the ride simple.

Trip Planner:  Plan your trip by bus or train in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties.

Driving Cost Calculator: See how much money you could save by sharing the ride.

How to Ride:  Know before you go! Find out everything you need to know about riding a Community Transit bus.

Also, Community Transit (and everyone’s favorite superhero Oxy Gene) will be joining other regional transit agencies at Westlake Center in Seattle this Thursday from 11:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. to celebrate Dump the Pump.  Stop by for prizes, treats and more information on how you can save a fortune by sharing the ride!

Oxy Gene: Two local schools STEP up for Community Transit Coloring Contest

Hello Good People!

Oxy Gene here, defender of truth, justice, and really clean air! I hope you’re all having a fabulous spring, and guess what…..summer is just about here(my favorite time of year to fly the gorgeous skies of Puget Sound!).  I’ve had a terrific year travelling across Snohomish County sharing information about Community Transit.

As you know, my good friend Steve Peters, runs a very entertaining School Transit Education Program (STEP), where he travels to schools within Snohomish County telling kids how much fun it is to ride their local transit system.  The program talks about safety, how to read a route number and how important Community Transit is for reducing traffic snarls in the community. Steve visits nearly 10,000 kids per year!



In fact, just recently I helped Steve choose two schools to participate in a poster coloring contest, Quil Ceda/Tulalip Elementary in Marysville and St. Mary Magdalen in Everett.  First and third graders were given blank sheets of paper and asked to show their creativity.  Using as many colors as possible and including a Community Transit bus, the kids used their imaginations to show how they can help yours truly be their own clean air superhero.



Quil Ceda/Tulalip Elementary First Grade Winners



St. Mary Magdalen First Grade Winners

St. Mary Magdalen Third Grade Winners

The pictures were amazing! Many kids also showed where they’d like to travel on a bus. Winners from each grade level were chosen and each school held an ice cream party this week to award the winners. Even superheroes can’t pass up ice cream! Their drawings will be posted on the interiors of our buses for all to see. An awesome job by all!!



Once the school year is done, well that’s where I give Steve a break and I, Oxy Gene.., “Clean Air Defender”, take to the skies and do my part to pulverize pollution.  You’ll see me in parades, at fairs, and other public events throughout the summer.

Remember…there’s only one thing that all of us share; it nourishes, refreshes, please love it…..IT’S AIR!

Snohomish County Transit Priorities

The Washington State Legislature is in its final week of a special session with no agreement yet on a possible transportation funding package. If there is no general budget agreement, there may be a second special session.

After cutting service 37 percent the past three years, Community Transit has no plans for further service cuts. Economic activity in Snohomish County is rebounding and the agency is looking ahead to when it can begin to add service. At stake in Olympia is whether the pace of service growth will be slow or quick.

Recently, Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor spoke with several local audiences about the prospect of service growth, as well as other transit issues.

As the agency embarks on a summer filled with community events, staff will be asking area residents their opinions on transit priorities. What are your priorities for service growth?

Listen to Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor and Everett Transit Director Tom Hingson discuss The Future of Transit in Snohomish County on KSER Radio (90.3 FM), recorded May 24, 2013.

KSER Interview (mp3)



Watch Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor speak to the Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation at Everett Station, recorded May 21, 2013.

Navigating Snohomish County by Bike

Whether you bike as part of your commute or just for fun, Snohomish County offers a lot of great options for getting around and enjoying the beauty of this region.  Here are just a few of the routes that make this a great area for biking.

Snohomish County bicyclist, Jason Wilsey, enjoying the trails!

Centennial Trail – Spanning 30 miles from Snohomish to the Skagit County line, this paved recreational trail provides great opportunities to ride for both beginners and more advanced riders.  The trail connects Snohomish, Lake Stevens and Arlington with parking lots, restrooms and picnic areas located at points between.

Interurban Trail – This 15.1 mile, paved trail is great for commuting and recreational biking.   While most of the trail is separated from traffic, there are several places where the trail is a designated bike route on the road shoulder.  The trail is located next to or near the South Everett Park and Ride, Mariner Park and Ride, McCollum Park Park and Ride, Ash Way Park and Ride, Edmonds Park and Ride and the Lynnwood Transit Center for easy connections to transit.

To find other bike routes in Snohomish County, download a copy of Community Transit’s Snohomish County Bike Map.  Also, check out these other great resources for more information on biking:

Community Transit Bike Webpage

Community Transit’s Centennial Trail Map

Community Transit’s Interurban Trail Map

B.I.K.E.S Club of Snohomish County

Cascade Bicycle Club

Google Maps - Bike

2013 Bike to Work Day Wrap-up

Last Friday, Community Transit was out at the Lynnwood Transit Center, McCollum Park Park and Ride and Boeing to celebrate Bike to Work Day!  We had 327 bike riders join us for food, coffee and fun!



Thanks to all the bikers that joined us at one of the Community Transit commute stations.



Oxy Gene stopped by the Lynnwood Transit Center commute station to thank

these bike riders for their commitment to cleaner air.

Community Transit and Boeing staffs were out bright and early Friday morning to greet bikers.

A special thanks to our bike mechanics from Bicycle Centres, Harvy’s Bike Shop and

Gregg’s Cycle that were on hand to help riders with minor repairs and maintenance advice!

Thank you to everyone that made Bike to Work Day in Snohomish County a success this year!

Bike to Work Day – May 17

Friday, May 17, is F5 Bike to Work Day and Community Transit is excited to be partnering again this year with Cascade Bicycle Club to recognize bikers throughout Snohomish County that choose to get out and ride to work on that day.

Stop by one of the many Commuter Stations set up around the region for a snack, have your bike checked out by a professional bike mechanic and to chat with your fellow bike commuters.  Community Transit will be hosting two stations this year:

Lynnwood Transit Center

Location: Interurban Trail at 202nd St SW & 46th Ave W
Time of Operation: 6:00am to 9:00 am

Get a chance to meet Oxy Gene and have your bike checked out by a friendly mechanic from Harvy’s Bike Shop.

McCollum Park Park and Ride

Location: 128th St SE and Dumas Road
Time of Operation: 6:00am to 9:00am

Stop by to learn how you can earn rewards for your bike commute through our Curb The Congestion program and get assistance with your bike from Bicycle Centres.

Or stop by one of the other Commute Stations being held in Snohomish County:

Everett Boeing Station sponsored by Boeing

Location: 75th & Seaway

Time of Operation: 5:00am to 8:30am

Station mechanic courtesy of Gregg's Cycle

Everett Station sponsored by Everett Transit

Location: 3201 Smith Ave (South of Pacific)

Time of Operation: 5:00am to 9:00am

Station mechanic courtesy of Tim's Bike Shop

For more information on all the Bike to Work Day activities happening around the region, visit http://www.cbcef.org/btw/btw_day.html.