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Commute Trip
Reduction News
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Spreading the love ... of our commutes, that is
With Valentine's Day upon us, our Community Transit team wanted to share their love of their commutes with you. Although the motivations and challenges of using commute options are different, some members of our team just can't get enough of their commutes. Here are just a few.
Alex Mehn, Community Transportation Specialist
In 2017 I donated my truck and entered a fully car-free lifestyle, with only an ORCA card and my trusty Spot Bicycle. Luckily, my apartment is about 7 miles from work, which means I got to do something fun, like ride my bike, at least twice a day. There are very few people who can say they truly love (and in this environment, even miss) their commute, but I’m one of them. Biking to the store lets me do my weekly shopping, and knowing I can only fit so much in my saddle bags limits temptation buys. In 2019, when I was earning my Masters from UW while working at Community Transit, I would bike down to classes and activities, and during graduation even had my bike shorts under my gown. If you haven’t in a while, try some longer rides on some of our amazing trails like the Centennial, Interurban, or my favorite, the Sammamish, which becomes the Burke-Gilman and will take you all the way to Seattle. They always say to find work doing what you love, but I consider myself lucky to have also found love in my commute.
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Jamie Johns, Graphic Designer
I love the flexibility teleworking allows in my day-to-day routines. I find I have less meetings and am more productive because my interruptions have lessened. I also gained time back that I used to use in getting ready for going into the office, packing lunches and doing hair and makeup along with the commute, which would add about an hour and a half to my mornings. The same for the time to commute home. Now that time can be used in doing things around my house, working out, working in my garden; the list is endless. My dogs also love the time they get with their human. I would say the only drawback to teleworking is the organic collaborations that would happen with my team during the day, but overall, I could telework indefinitely.
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Ross Peizer, Marketing Logistics Specialist
I love my vanpool because as soon as I joined I gave myself a raise. I am fortunate that Community Transit has an incentive and subsidy program that covers the cost of my vanpool commute AND pays an incentive to not drive alone to work. I also get time back to do other things in the van when not driving including reading, listening to podcasts, and just closing my eyes and catching up on a little sleep. Since teleworking due to the pandemic, I miss the fact that I arrived at and left work at the same times daily due to my vanpool schedule. This meant I didn’t stay late to finish an email and instead just got to it the next day. The rigidness of the vanpool timing was originally an adjustment, but I have found I actually miss that structure as it helped put work into perspective for me. I also love my vanpool because I can combine bike commuting with my van. My van was equipped with a bike rack so I could ride my bike the first and last mile of my commute and get some exercise and fresh air at the beginning and end of the day as part of my commute. (I love that all Community Transit vans can be equipped with bike racks!)
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Phillip Jefferies, Field Marketing and Business Development Manager
I have been riding transit for my work commute since 2017. I usually bike or walk to my bus stop, which helps me stay on track with my fitness activity goals. Once I’m on the bus, it’s amazing how fast the ride goes! I use my bus time to visit with other colleagues who ride, for reading, or to enjoy a podcast. I’ve saved a lot of money over the years, compared to driving alone, and sometimes can go months between gasoline fill-ups. Aside from all these benefits, it just feels great to know I’m lowering my carbon footprint while supporting a vital community service. Thanks to Community Transit, I really do love my commute.
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For your Employees: Community Transit wants to hear from you!
It has been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, changing how we live, work and travel. Your experience riding with Community Transit has also likely changed due to pandemic regulations and other safety measures employed to help keep our employees and riders like you healthy and safe.
Last year, we surveyed the communities we serve and the results helped inform agency decisions about our services and communications during the pandemic.
Your feedback will help us meet your public transportation needs, improve transportation options, and improve communications with our riders and communities.
We want to know how you are doing now so we can continue to provide the best possible service.
We encourage you to take this survey, available now until March 7, 2021. Please click on the button below to begin. Those who take the survey (Adults 18+) who share their name and address will be entered into a drawing to win one of five $100 gift cards.
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Now employees can find bus seats and social distance
Seating on Community Transit's buses have been reduced in response to our commitment to safety during the pandemic. To provide a better experience for our riders, the agency developed a Bus Seat Availability tool to help determine which buses may have the most available seats using information gathered over the prior two weeks.
Results shown on the tool take into consideration bus seats blocked off for social distancing. Read more about our commitment to safety here.
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Sound Transit tests Northgate Link Extension
Sound Transit is testing the Northgate Link Extension in preparation to open the new stations in adjacent neighborhoods, such as Roosevelt and the U District in 2021.
When in operation, Link trips from Northgate to Westlake will take 14 minutes, U District to Capitol Hill will take six minutes. Community Transit plans to connect service to Northgate when the station opens. (Photo courtesy of Sound Transit.)
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Community Transit celebrates Black History Month
Community Transit kicked off Black History Month on Feb. 4, Transit Equity Day, honoring American civil rights activist Rosa Parks on her birthday. Rosa Parks is best remembered for her transformative role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Her act of resistance by refusing to give up her seat on the bus was a pivotal moment for the civil rights movement and equity in transit.
To read our blog post and more about Community Transit's Core Values of Equity & Inclusion, click here.
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Trainings & Events
Feb. 24: Telework Nuts and Bolts, 10-11 a.m. (1 hour Advanced Training Credit)
WorkSmart consultant Elham Shirazi will cover the nuts and bolts of telework including telework policies, plans, and incentives, as well as recommendations for social connection tools and ways to address barriers to productivity. We also plan to have a discussion with some of our ETCs who had telework policies and plans in place Pre-COVID and since COVID to learn from their organizations’ experiences. RSVP here
Other Recorded Trainings Programs Online Anytime
You can also watch recorded training programs listed on our ETC Resources Page and complete the Advanced Training Hours Survey to get advanced training credit hours.
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Peer Advisory Board Election is open. Be sure to cast your vote!
The 2021 Peer Advisory Board election open today, Feb. 11, and closes March 1.
Your fellow ETCs on the ballot are:
- Anita Marrero, City of Monroe (current PAB president) - Brian Bellin, The Boeing Company - Lacey Handel, FUJIFILM Sonosite - Evalyn Thomas, Partner Therapeutics
Please click here to cast your vote.
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Community Transit now has a seat on the WSRO board
Our own Ross Peizer was elected to the Washington State Ridesharing Organization (WSRO) Board and began his 3-year term last month and is serving as Vice Chair and is assisting with the planning of the organization's annual conference, webinars, Wheel Options promotional campaign, and other ways to serve its members.
Ross said he enjoys working with TDM and CTR peers from around the state and knows his role will be helpful in expanding opportunities for our ETCs and CTR worksites within our program.
"I'm looking forward to promoting webinar, conference, and promotional campaign opportunities to you all from my new position with WSRO," Ross said.
The new board is also working to update WSRO's mission and vision to better reflect the work it does, as well as planning the upcoming annual conference.
WSRO's fall conference, which will have an ETC-specific track, has opened a call for speaker submissions. Let Ross know if you are interested or have any questions.
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What our CTR Team is Reading These Days
- Learn how light rail is bringing transit-oriented development to Lynnwood in "Hundreds more apartments planned around Lynnwood light rail," (HeraldNet, Jan. 22, 2021)
- "Seattle Metro Area Becomes 10th Largest Regional Economy in the Nation," (Greater Seattle Partners, Jan. 15, 2021)
- "House Ups the Ante with $26 Billion Transportation Package,"(The Urbanist, Jan. 21, 2021)
- "How the Federal Government Could Help Kill the Highways It Built," (Bloomberg CityLab, Feb. 1, 2021)
- "The People Wanted Lego Bike Lanes and Lego is Finally Listening," (The Verge, Jan. 31, 2021)
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