January 2020 CTR Newsletter

Transportation Options During Winter Conditions

We hope you are all safe and warm. With current winter weather we wanted to send some tips and info for you and your employees. 

Transit

Here are some links to rider and route information to help you prepare for commuting in the cold:

1. Make sure your Rider Alert preferences are up-to-date with the correct routes, email address and/or mobile phone number.
2. Bookmark these links:

• Snow Service: How to prepare, what to expect.
• Snow Service Alerts: Updated hourly 5 a.m. - 7 p.m. during inclement weather conditions
• @MyCommTransBus:  For real-time service alerts
• @MyCommTrans: For general agency updates
• Community Transit on Facebook
• Community Transit Home Page

Biking

Check out these resources/handouts:

Biking in Adverse Conditions Table final.docx

Layers hand out.pdf

Driving

See these Winter Driving Tips

Telework

Winter weather is a great reason to be set up for telework. Consider a pilot with your team before rolling out a formal telework policy. Let us know if you need any resources/support. 

With all travel in winter conditions, whether it be transit, biking, walking, or driving - give yourself extra time, dress warmly, and be prepared for anything with water, food, a fully-charged phone, chains, gas in the tank, etc. Most importantly, be safe.

Quarterly Reports - Due January 24th 

It is that time again for you to tell us how things went this past quarter (October-December) for Commute Trip Reduction.

We will be using this online form again this quarter but if you prefer a phone call, just let us know.

* Note the added 2020 Plans question this quarter.

Complete your quarterly report here by Friday, January 24^th.

*Please take some time to review the upcoming year. What are your goals as an ETC in 2020?  What are your goals to reduce single occupancy vehicles coming to your site?  How are you going to achieve those goals?  How are you going to inspire behavior change? 

We recorded a webinar about 2020 Planning to help. If you haven's watched it yet, you can view it on our ETC Resources page under CTR Recorded Tranings.

Start planning now and let us know how we can help you reach your goals!

Welcome Sherry Jennings to the Community Transit CTR Team!

Sherry Jennings joined the team as our third Marketing Logistics Specialist. Sherry brings a passion for getting out there and promoting program awareness by building relationships, having done so most recently as a Marketing and Community Outreach Coordinator with EvergreenHealth. She also brings a deep marketing background with experience developing campaigns, managing projects, company storytelling… and the list goes on.  Sherry’s desire to do her part to help her community is what sparked her interest in Community Transit, and we couldn’t be more excited to leverage her skills to do just that! Sherry says, "Connecting communities has always been my passion, so being able to join the Community Transit team to do just that is truly exciting." Welcome, Sherry!

Upcoming Trainings and Events

We've already hosted two trainings this month, so if you were unable to tune in live, you can always catch the recordings to get advanced training credit. We are trying something new. To get advanced training credit for watching the recording, please complete an ETC Webinar Survey once you have reviewed the webinar.

2020 CTR Program Planning 

Get ready for 2020 and kick start your plans! Generate some new ideas and initiatives with this training. Training goes over some resources including a 2020 CTR Program Planning Worksheet and 2020 Planning Calendar.

Watch the Recording.

TDM Forum Recap 

Didn’t make this conference? It’s OK! Ross shares highlights from the Association for Commuter Transportation TDM Forum he attended last November. Be inspired by some leading programs in the country but also learn about challenges they face. Ross provides key takeaways from relevant sessions.

Watch the Recording.

Other Training Opportunities Include:

Save the date for upcoming RideshareOnline Trainings in February hosted by our peers at King County Metro. 

February 12: RideshareOnline.com Basic Training

February 13: RideshareOnline.com Incentive Management

Services We Offer You

We are going to start featuring different services to our CTR sites each month. Maybe you already know about these, or maybe it's been a while.

To kick this new section off:

Zip Code Maps - Zip Code Maps help address the "but no one lives near me" comment you might have heard before.

How it works:

1. You provide us a list of employee zip codes for your worksite.
2. We work to plot the data on a map. (about a month turnaround)
3. We provide a digital and paper map (if requested) for you to use and/or display.
4. We encourage a follow-up event for interested carpool/vanpoolers. You don't have to do this alone. We can help!

Let us know if you are interested in getting a Zip Code Map started today!

You or your employees might be interested in...

Sound Transit is hosting an online open house about
Bus Rapid Transit on I-405

Sound Transit is hosting an online open house for the public to learn about refinements made to the I-405 bus rapid transit (BRT) project as its planning progresses. Participants can also comment on station amenities and shelters, and ways to reach the future stations on foot or by bicycle.

The online open house will remain open until Feb. 14, 2020. Your feedback will help Sound Transit continue to refine the project. This I-405 BRT will add about 37 miles of high-capacity transit service to the region. It will serve Lynnwood, Bothell, Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, Tukwila/SeaTac and Burien.

Submit your comments by Feb. 14 (in person, online, mail or email):

Online: i405brt.participate.online
Email: brt@soundtransit.org
Phone: 206-398-5470
Send Mail to: I-405 BRT, c/o Ivonne Rivera-Martinez, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104

Background on the I-405 BRT Project

The I-405 BRT Project will connect communities along I-5, I-405 and SR 518 from Lynnwood to Burien with fast, frequent and reliable transit service. The project includes a new transit center in South Renton and 11 BRT stations, three of which include added parking. The I-405 BRT builds upon WSDOT's I-405 Master Plan with roadway improvements facilitating faster bus travel. Connections to Link light rail will be available at Lynnwood, Bellevue and Tukwila.

Holiday Service Alert

Community Transit will operate limited commuter bus service to and from downtown Seattle and the University District on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20. Community Transit local service and Sound Transit Express bus service from Snohomish County will operate regular weekday schedules. 

For an overview, including Customer Care and Ride Store hours, please visit our site for more details.

Ten weeks of construction began reducing Link light rail service Jan. 4. This construction is building new light rail track to connect Seattle to the Eastside. What you need to know for better train transportation during this period:

1. Allow more time for travel
2. Follow the new signs
3. Spread out on the train and platform to avoid overcrowding
4. Allow for priority seating and boarding 
5. Watch for weekend closures
6. No bikes at Pioneer Square Station, use protected bicycle lanes on 2nd Ave, S Main Street, and 5th Ave S

Learn more about the overall Connect 2020 project on soundtransit.org.

Commute Trip Reduction Contact Info

CTR@commtrans.org