^Commuter Solutions ETC BULLETIN An Electronic Newsletter for area Employee Transportation Coordinators
March 15, 2007
Commuter Solutions Providing Information and Resources for Smart Transportation Choices In This Issue Get in the ACT! Be Smart Be Seen In the Spotlight Neighborhood Climate Council SaveTheDate Earth Day Celebration New Participants Be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Gandhi Save The Date Commuter Solutions will be holding our spring luncheon for Employee Transportation Coordinators at West Bros River Ranch Restaurant. Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 18 at 12:00, and watch the mail for your invitation! LINKS Carpool Registration Smart Ways to School Drive Less. Save More. www.keepusmoving.info Emergency Ride Home We encourage you to print and post these flyers and posters at your workplace to inform your employees of transportation options and regional road projects: Rising Gas Price Poster Keep Us Moving Poster Commute Cost Poster Commuter Solutions P.O. Box 7070 Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-6213 Commutersolutions@ltd.org www.commutersolutions.ltd.org Connie Bloom Williams Program Manager Marcia Maffei Employer Programs Bob Ransom ERH, Carpool/Vanpool Lisa VanWinkle Smart Ways to School Tracy Smith Administrative Assistant If you do not wish to receive these communications in the future, please click here.	As an Employee Transportation Coordinator, you are one of the important members in our local Transportation Options community encouraging travel by means other than driving alone. The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) is an international organization representing those of us who work in Transportation Options. Commuter Solutions has an organizational membership in ACT allowing those of us working in the Transportation Options area the resources of an international organization and the support of a regional affiliate of experienced Transportation Options professionals. From networking and educational events through professional development and government relations support, ACT advances the effectiveness of our local and national transportation system. The 2007 International ACT Conference will be held in Seattle, September 9 – 12. Watch your mail for a chance to win a trip to this conference courtesy of Commuter Solutions. We want to pay your way! Visit the ACT website to learn more about membership benefits. Commuter Solutions and Paul’s Bicycle Way of Life Want Cyclists to be Seen Commuter Solutions received a $4,900 grant from the Community Cycling Center of Portland and ODOT Transportation Safety Division to initiate a BE SMART! BE SEEN! bike lights project in the Eugene area. The project will provide 400 front and rear LED safety light sets, along with safety information, to cyclists who could not otherwise afford them. Our partners in this project include the City of Eugene Transportation Planning Division, Eugene Police Department (EPD), the Eugene Bicycle Coalition, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, and Paul's Bicycle Way of Life. The goal is to improve safety on the roads for bicyclists and car drivers, and to promote good relations between cyclists and motorists by emphasizing responsible traffic behavior. For the safety of all, it is important that both motorists and bicyclists follow the rules of the road, including the legal requirements for adequate lighting devices on bicycles during hours of darkness. The lights will be distributed in several ways: by EPD officers who will give “Fix-It Coupons” that can be exchanged for the light sets at several police sub-stations; through a City program which provides helmets to low-income cyclists; and at tabling locations which we will set up along popular bike routes. Recipients will receive safety information, including a brochure on Night Cycling, and will have to sign a pledge to use the lights and follow state and local bicycle laws. In the Spotlight Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has offered their 350 employees Group Bus Pass and Emergency Ride Home programs since opening their doors in February 2006. RCCL is located at 1000 Royal Caribbean Way in the Gateway area of Springfield. RCCL hosted a benefit fair for their employees on Valentine’s Day. Commuter Solutions would like to thank Royal Caribbean and their ETC, Cheryl Louderback, for inviting us to attend their fair to provide trip planning and transportation options information to employees. More than 40 employees signed up for carpool matching and the Emergency Ride Home Program. It was a “Sweetheart” of an event. Employees spun the Wheel for prizes and much chocolate was consumed by all. Commuter Solutions Co-Sponsors Program To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Commuter Solutions is a co-sponsor of The Neighborhood Climate Council (NCC) research project for the University of Oregon Climate Leadership Initiative. Program goals aim to identify effective strategies for communicating information and providing tools for curbing climate change to households. The pilot program, taking place in Eugene with the Jefferson-Westside and Fairmount neighborhoods during the next year, will test several outreach strategies. For more information, contact the University of Oregon Climate Leadership Initiative at climlead@uoregon.edu. Celebrate Earth Day on April 21st Take the LTD shuttle for FREE to the 8^th Annual Earth Day celebration located on the EWEB Plaza on Saturday, April 21st from 11 AM to 5 PM. Activities include two stages with a great selection of live music; the Earth Action Arena with 50 informational booths hosted by local businesses, agencies, and other groups. Also featured will be the ever popular Procession of All Species Parade, films, lectures and Watery-World, an array of hands-on activities designed for kids of all ages. The Earth Day Celebration is an environmentally focused, Lane County gathering that celebrates the Earth and its many resources. The theme of this year's event, "Spirit of Sustainability," reflects Eugene's diverse community and the city's desire to unite, celebrate, and learn about our planet. To learn more about the event, visit the website at www.earthdayoregon.com. Commuter Solutions Welcomes New Program Participants ~ Curves on 28^th(ERH) ~ Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites (GPP) ~ Lane Community College Faculty and Staff (ERH) ~ Systems West Engineering (ERH) ~ Whitewater Designs, Inc. (GPP & ERH)