In our December End-of-Year Issue, Smart Commute asked readers to enter themselves into a drawing for nine RTD MyRide cards to commemorate Smart Commute's nine years as an organization.
Many more than nine readers wrote in, and after we randomly selected nine winners for the nine MyRide cards, we also made sure that every other reader received an RTD ticket.
We asked readers to share their favorite non-driving option, and many said "transit." One reader wrote, "I love the opportunities I have on the bus to read or check social media, or catchup with emails!" Another shared, "I don't have to worry about parking or driving in traffic" for why transit was their favorite non-driving mode.
Other readers selected walking as their favorite. One shared that walking allows a "slower pace, get to enjoy the sights." Another shared, "I love being outside and getting exercise so I often choose bus routes where there is some walking involved."
A number of readers selected biking as a favorite non-driving mode. "Bicycling makes me feel better physically and mentally," one reader wrote, and another shared that biking is "good for my health and good for the environment." One reader even picked electric scooters as their favorite mode: "It's faster than walking, & I can take it on the bus!"
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RTD has debuted an enhanced Service Alerts system that allows for signups down to the stop level – and notifications can now be sent by text message, a change that customers have long been requesting. Sign up on the RTD Website.
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In 2021, over 2,300 respondents participated in our annual North Metro Commuter Survey. Smart Commute is still evaluating the data, but the initial findings show that both Teleworking and Compressed Work Week are having significant impacts on reducing drive-alone commuting, and the air pollution that accompanies it.
In 2021, when evaluating trip behavior across a representative week, 3.5% of reported commute trips didn't take place due to a Compressed Work Week day off. Another 10.4% of reported commute trips didn't take place due to Teleworking, which replaced a commute to the office on a normal workday.
Extrapolating from this representative week across the year, Compressed Work Week reduced over 675,000 miles in 2021, and Telework reduced over 2 million miles in the same period. This is looking exclusively at survey respondents.
Survey respondents actually represent a small portion of Smart Commute's overall employer program, which reached 29,000 employees last year. If these results are representative of the overall population of commuters, it is easy to see the profound impact that Teleworking and Compressed Work Week can have on employee air-polluting drive-alone trips.
Smart Commute provides expert analysis to accompany our expert Telework and Compressed Work Week policy guidance. Contact us to learn more about our analytical programs, as well as our model policy and training assistance.
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Mark your calendars and get ready to ride! Winter Bike to Work Day is scheduled for February 11. Registration is now open online. Be sure to pledge to ride for a chance to win prizes and social media recognition!
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Beginning as early as January 19, a section of the Big Dry Creek Trail west of City Park in Westminster will be detoured to keep trail users moving during ongoing sewer construction. The detour will take users on a paved path around the pond area with signs in place for guidance. The detour will be in place until further notice. See a map, and more information, on the City of Westminster website.
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Ring in the New Year with a new commute! 2022 is the perfect time to lower your carbon footprint and try out a different commute choice. Whether it’s transit, carpool, telework or winter biking, every trip counts.
Log at least eight trips throughout January and be entered to win a 2022 National Parks Foundation calendar from Way to Go! Still working from home? No problem! Telework totally counts as a commute trip. Log trips on My Way to Go, the region's premier trip-planning and trip-logging website.
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Using Cycling as an Indicator for Urban Quality of Life (The City Fix)
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RTD proposes massive overhaul: Fewer suburban buses, more service where riders remained during the pandemic (CPR)
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Smart Commute is the Way to Go provider for the north metro area. Learn about this regional program at waytogo.org.
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