CTrides is urging commuters to carpool, vanpool, take buses or trains, walk, bike or telecommute instead of driving alone to work - for at least a day during the week of May 13-17.
CTrides is not alone in advocating alternate transportation – and the benefits of leaving the car in the driveway, or sharing the ride into work.
BikeWalk Connecticut is urging people to step outside their vehicles - May 8 is National Bike to School Day and May 17 is National Bike to Work Day.
There are community-based events taking place on May 17 in at least two dozen locations around the state, from Bloomfield and Bethel to Waterbury and West Hartford. Most are open to the public, and some are held on-site for corporate employees, such as CIGNA, GE, Aetna and United Technologies.
CTrides notes that Americans spend an average of 47 hours per year sitting in rush-hour traffic, and public transit is viewed as 170 times safer than automobile travel. An averge family’s second largest expense, after housing, goes to buying, maintaining and operating a car. For those acutely aware of environmental impacts, it has been estimated that a single person switching to public transportation reduces carbon emissions by 4,800 pounds per year.
On May 9, CTrides goes to college – Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, specifically. The midday Community Outreach event will focus on the benefits of sharing a ride.
Beyond the personal riding advocacy, BikeWalk Connecticut also works for legal changes to make cycling safer. This year, among their legislative priorities is the so-called “vulnerable user” bill (HB5250). It would establish a penalty for a motorist who, failing to exercise reasonable care on a public way, seriously injures or causes the death of a “vulnerable user, such as pedestrians, bicyclists and roadside highway workers.
There's more to the story, at http://ctbythenumbers.info/2013/05/07/riding-to-work-protecting-vulnerable-on-the-way/
