September 2019 CTR Newsletter

September 2019 |  Commute Trip Reduction Newsletter

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Wheel Options 2019

Win $1,500- Wheel Options Begins Oct 1!

Here is the opportunity to promote a turn key Statewide transportation options campaign to your employees.

Leave the car at home or pick up carpool buddies during October and Be a Commute Super Hero! Being a Commute Super Hero means saving the planet from pollution and your wallet from the costs of maintaining a car. And it’s easy to do: complete and track at least six days of Wheel Options modes—that’s vanpooling, biking, walking, rolling, skateboarding, carpooling, taking transit, teleworking, compressing your work schedule or a combination of all these modes—and you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win some great rewards, including a $1,500 super reward or $500 sidekick reward via a digital reward link, and a host of $50 retail rewards! Be a Commute Super Hero and show other Washingtonians you are reducing your CO2 emissions, saving money and gas, socializing with your community and exercising on your way to and from work! 

Even better, you don't need to sign up for a new site. Log-in to RideshareOnline.com and keep tracking your trips in October. In addition to the prizes above, there will also be 10 guaranteed winners from Snohomish County, so take those trips! 

So Be a Commuter Super Hero and track Wheel Options modes starting Oct. 1st! Grand and second prizes allow the winners to choose a super reward. The reward links (via a digital reward catalog) allow winners to choose between more than eight dozen top retail brands and non-profits—spending all the winnings on one brand, giving to charity or splitting it up among multiple—so winners get to choose the reward (or rewards).

ETCs, find all the materials and sample email text to promote to your employees at the Wheel Options Toolkit page

Up, Up and Away!  Starting in October, post a photo of you and the commute you love to the Wheel Options Facebook page for your chance to win a $25 weekly reward!


Swift Blue Line

Community Transit to Increase Swift Trips, Add More Sunday Bus Service

Community Transit continues to expand service this fall with additional Swift bus rapid transit trips in early mornings and Saturdays, longer Sunday service hours, and better transit connections to improve the journey for riders.

These service changes take effect starting September 22.

Riders should check the fall schedules as other bus trip times may have changed. Details about this service change are online at www.communitytransit.org/NewService.

Learn more and ask questions about this service change during the Community Transit Live webcast streaming on Facebook from 12-12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17. Join us live on the Community Transit Facebook page, or watch at your convenience after that time. ETCs can get training credit for attending, just let us know.

With every service change, your trip times may be affected. Be sure to check the new Bus Plus book or preview fall schedules online.

Other Agencies

Sound Transit Express

  • Route 522: Discontinue weekday westbound trip leaving Woodinville at 11:39 p.m. New weekday westbound trip leaving UW-Bothell at 8:25 a.m.
  • Route 542: New weekday trip departing Green Lake at 6:07 a.m.
  • Route 550: Minor schedule adjustments.
  • Route 554: A new stop at S. Jackson St. and Maynard Ave. S. will restore eastbound service to the Chinatown/International District neighborhood.

Metro King County

If you or your employees are in King County see Metro's fall service changes which include doubling service on some routes. 


parking day

PARK(ing) Day - September 20

Taking place every third Friday of September, PARK(ing) Day is an annual global placemaking event in which community members temporarily transform parking spaces into people spaces. PARK(ing) Day provides an opportunity to reimagine how streets can be used. Starting as a grassroots movement, the initiative serves as a way to repurpose public space and allows for communities to add park space where it is currently limited. Convert a parking space on the street or a parking lot into something else for the day to inspire others, use the space that occupies a car differently and have fun!

Check out the example from a Community Transit PARK(ing) Day pumpkin patch event from a couple years ago.

Note: check with your facilities department if on private property or local jurisdiction if interested in a public parking space. :) 

For more history about PARK(ing) Day, check out this article.


Upcoming Trainings and Events

*Note, if you attend a webinar we aren't the direct host of, let us know so you can have credit*

9/17/2019- Community Transit Live, 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m., Online

9/20/2019- The Last Mile, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., Online

9/25/2019- ETC Networking Meeting, 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Kasch Park Operating Base

10/9/2019- The New ETC Program Guide, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Online (this training is dependent on our new ETC Program Guide being ready which might not be until later in October which would mean this training gets pushed back too)

10/15/2019- Community Transit Live, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m., Online

10/16/2019- ETC Basic Training, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Kasch Park Operating Base



You or your employees might be interested in...

Sound Transit Breaks Ground on Lynnwood Link

Gov. Jay Inslee, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and U.S. Reps. Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen were among the many dignitaries on hand to break ground for the Link light rail project at Lynnwood Transit Center Sept. 3.

Community Transit CEO Emmett Heath spoke of the preparation this agency is doing to integrate local bus service with the regional light rail system when it opens in 2024, and also the partnership with Sound Transit to keep riders informed and engaged while construction is underway between now and then.

Construction begins in earnest at the Lynnwood Transit Center later this month, and work on the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center light rail station is expected to start in October.

Lynnwood Link light rail service is scheduled to begin in 2024. Sound Transit plans trains to operate every four to six minutes during weekday peak hours. Commuters from the Lynnwood Transit Center will enjoy 20-minute rides to the University of Washington, 27-minute rides to downtown Seattle and 60-minute rides to Sea-Tac Airport. Trains from Lynnwood will also serve the Eastside and reach downtown Bellevue in 51 minutes. Sound Transit projects ridership to reach between 47,000 and 55,000 daily riders by 2026.

link ground breaking

Trailhead Direct Expands Hiking Destinations Via Bus

If you or your employees are looking for non-driving access to popular trails, King County Metro has the solution!

Trailhead Direct is a pilot project co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks which seeks to ease vehicle congestion, reduce safety hazards and expand access to hiking destinations along I-90. For the 2019 season, service to Mailbox Peak will start at Issaquah Transit Center and the new Trailhead Direct Cougar Mountain service will serve residents and visitors in South King County. And, as in 2018, the Seattle Department of Transportation is providing half of the operating costs for the Issaquah Alps and Mount Si Trailhead Direct service.

From Snohomish County, commuter service (particularly the 510 and 512-series) will connect you with link light rail for easy access to Trailhead Direct.

Trailhead Direct is a seasonal service (April 20 – October 27, 2019) that operates on weekends and designated holidays. For the remainder of the 2019 season, there are no more designated holidays.

Learn more and plan your next car free adventure here and here.

Trailhead Direct

Commute Trip Reduction Contact Info

CTR@commtrans.org