Your tailpipe is polluting the ocean as well as the air Hybrid carpool lane passes are nearly all allotted "Test drive" a Metro Annual Pass

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1 Commuters throughout Southern California will make the pledge to leave the solo commute behind at least one day to carpool, vanpool, ride transit, bike or walk to work or telecommute in celebration of Rideshare Week Full story Orange County Rideshare Week kick-off World Car Free Day ETC Training More events Your employees can win prizes as part of the Rideshare Week campaign. Get free posters, pledge cards & everything you need to promote the event at your work site. Full story 10 steps to a great Rideshare Week event. Full story Your tailpipe is polluting the ocean as well as the air Hybrid carpool lane passes are nearly all allotted "Test drive" a Metro Annual Pass Golden Pylon Awards to honor the best in rideshare reporting Employers sign on to offer free rides home to ridesharers When it comes to promoting ridesharing, why reinvent the wheel? Find out about great networking opportunities to make your job easier. Full story Get news geared to commuters that you can forward to employees or incorporate into your own rideshare newsletter

2 Pick a day, any day. Commuters throughout Southern California will do just that Oct. 2-6 choosing at least one day to share the ride in celebration of Rideshare Week. Whether they carpool, vanpool, ride transit, bike or walk, or telecommute they'll have a chance to discover the benefits ridesharing can bring...from saving money on gas, to getting to work faster in carpool lanes, to the peace of mind that comes from letting someone else do the driving once in a while. Plus, when they participate in rideshare agency and/or work site-sponsored events (see "Get Involved" in this issue), they could win prizes including weekend getaways, gift cards, and more. Does Rideshare Week Really Make a Difference? In a word, yes. A Caltrans study showed that, of the people who try ridesharing for the first time during Rideshare Week, 60% continue to share the ride. The campaign has and does serve to convert solo drivers into ridesharers. That can make a big difference in solving our traffic woes. Southern California consistently leads the nation in traffic congestion. Motorists here waste more time sitting in traffic than anywhere else in the US (on average 93 hours annually). We re home to five of the 15 most congested interchanges including the busiest, the junction of the 405 and 101 freeways. With Caltrans promise that its freeway building days are over, it s up to commuters to make better use of the roadways already in place. Even Once a Week Can Help The Rideshare Week campaign encourages people to give ridesharing a try, even if it s as little as once during the week. "If everyone shared the ride once a week, it would have a huge impact on reducing traffic," says Michelle Kirkhoff with San Bernardino Associated Governments, which sponsors Rideshare Week in Southern California along with Metro, Orange County Transportation Authority, Riverside County Transportation Commission, Ventura County Transportation Commission and other private and public organizations. She adds, "There are so many personal benefits to ridesharing like saving money and time in carpool lanes occasional ridesharers often decide to do it on a more regular basis." Rideshare Week will roll out at hundreds of work sites throughout Southern California, where employers will host fairs, contests and other events to encourage employees to participate. The campaign also traditionally enjoys media support, with on-air mentions on TV and radio. For More Information To find an alternative to driving alone for Rideshare Week, commuters can go to commutesmart.info or call COMMUTE for carpool/vanpool matching information, instant transit routes, news on carpool lanes and more.

3 Your employees can win prizes as part of the Rideshare Week campaign. Get free posters, pledge cards & everything you need to promote the event at your work site. Los Angeles County It ll be a trip back in time for commuters, as Los Angeles turns into the Old West for Rideshare Week. Hundreds of work sites will hold Western-themed events, urging employees to grab a "pardner" and share the ride. Employers who attended the Rideshare Week kick-off last month received complete campaign tool kits. (For a limited time, supplies of t-shirts and bandanas can be purchased at cost; blanchardd@metro.net for details.) In addition, posters, pledge cards, clip art and more can be downloaded free at Metro s web site. Commuters who pledge to share the ride at least once during Rideshare Week will qualify to win prizes. For details, call or go to metro.net Riverside/San Bernardino counties Participating Inland Empire employers are promoting Rideshare Week using Inland Empire Commuter Services' (IECS) "Be a Winner" campaign. At a kick-off event last month, employers bet on ridesharing at the casino style game tables and everyone walked away a winner, with gift bags including pens, stadium cups and balloons for their own events. (If you missed it, contact IECS to get posters and pledge cards by mail or .) Inland Empire commuters who pledge to rideshare during Rideshare Week qualify to win any of dozens of prizes including Vegas getaways, groceries, gift cards and more. For details, call IECS4HELP. Orange County Orange County employers can learn about Rideshare Week at a workshop and kick-off Sept. 15 at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) offices in Orange. The theme is "Good for You!" and commuters will discover how ridesharing can benefit them. Campaign materials will ship to work sites in Orange County mid- September and will include posters, clip art and more. You ll also be able to download materials at octa.net Orange County commuters who pledge to rideshare during Rideshare Week qualify to win prizes including getaways, Metrolink passes and more. For details, contact Judy Hernandez at or jhernandez1@octa.net or go on-line at octa.net Ventura County Ventura County will celebrate the "art of ridesharing" by featuring the award-winning artwork from local students in its Rideshare Week campaign materials. Campaign materials including pledge cards and posters will be mailed to employers the second week in September and available to download at goventura.org. Rideshare Week in Ventura County is sponsored by Ventura County Transportation Commission and the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District. Commuters who pledge to rideshare can win $1,000 in gasoline. For details, call Alan Holmes at , ext. 119.

4 Your tailpipe is polluting the ocean as well as the air Air pollution may be the first thing we worry about with tailpipe emissions but that dirt eventually makes its way to our oceans as well, according to David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign. In his book, 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, he recommends driving a fuel-efficient car as well as carpooling, taking transit, walking or biking instead of driving alone to help reduce nitrogen buildup in offshore waters. This buildup creates "dead zones" that is, areas of ocean that can t support any sort of sea life. For more information, go to bluefront.org Hybrid carpool lane passes are nearly all allotted Only a year after the program was introduced, California is very close to maxing out on the special permits that allow hybrid cars to use carpool lanes. Officials allowed 75,000 permits, and to date they ve received well over 74,000 applications and issued nearly 63,400 permits. While allowing solo hybrid drivers to use carpool lanes has proved popular among these cars' owners, many carpoolers complain the extra cars are slowing their commutes and clogging the lanes during rush hour. In the meantime, Caltrans is conducting a study to determine the impact that extending the number of hybrids would have on carpool lane effectiveness. "Test drive" a Metro Annual Pass Metro s Annual Pass program allows Los Angeles County employers to provide their employees with annual photo-id passes good for one calendar year. While 2006 is nearly over, there s still time to "test drive" annual passes at your work site at a prorated rate based on the number of months left. "Switching to an annual pass for those who regularly ride transit saves on paperwork and hassle, and helps keep ridesharers on track," says David Sutton with Metro. "By trying it out for the rest of 2006, they ll see how easy it is to put it in place for 2007." For more information, go to metro.net or contact your Metro account executive. Golden Pylon Awards to honor the best in rideshare reporting You hear them regularly on your way to work: traffic reporters those "angels of the airwaves" whose on-air reports help commuters avoid traffic snarls. Traffic reporters who go the extra mile to promote ridesharing will be honored at the 10th annual Golden Pylon Awards, Sept. 20 at Universal City Walk. "In Southern California, with traffic being as bad as it is, traffic reporters have reached celebrity status," says Robert Yates with Riverside County Transportation Commission, one of the event s sponsors. Traffic reporters representing nearly every major TV and radio station will honor their best and also gear up for the upcoming Rideshare Week campaign, Oct The Golden Pylons are presented by transportation agencies for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Employers sign on to offer free rides home to ridesharers Employers wanting to offer a free benefit to employees are signing up for the new regional Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program. Offered by a partnership of local county transportation agencies, GRH gives ridesharers taxi or rental car rides home in case of emergency or unexpected overtime. "Employees are far more likely to rideshare if they know they won t get stuck at work without a way home," says Cosette Stark, program manager for Metro. "Work sites with GRH programs often see increased ridership. Call for more information: Los Angeles County, ; Orange County, ; Riverside and San Bernardino counties, In Ventura County, call , ext 119.

5 1. Pick a date. Many companies hold their Rideshare Week event the week before to serve as a kick off for the week. Or would you prefer Monday, Oct. 2, to get things rolling? Nearer the end of the week so people can report their results? For that matter, instead of one big event, you may want to do something little every day during the week. 2. Team up, if possible. After all, "sharing" is what Rideshare Week is all about. By going in together with another company or department, you may be able to have a larger affair without a larger budget. Hold a fair with a neighboring business. Or organize a "health fair" or 'human resources-a-palooza' and make Rideshare Week part of what employees can learn about when they attend. 3. Decide your budget. Knowing whether you have $1 or $10,000 to spend has a huge impact on what you can realistically plan. 4. Decide what type of event. Think out of the box. A "rideshare fair" with booths is great, but not the only way to celebrate Rideshare Week. What about holding a raffle with donated prizes? A "chips and salsa" social? A challenge between departments? A car wash? Preferential parking? A rally? A vanpool decorating contest? A rideshare casino party? A rideshare rodeo? An art contest for employees kids? A company picnic? The options are endless. 5. Get volunteers. If you don t have a staff of rideshare folks (and few ETCs do these days), see if you can recruit help from other departments or from the company s social committee. 6. Set a goal. Do you want to sign people up for your rideshare program? Reward current ridesharers? Recruit new ones? Increase use of a nearby transit line? The more specific you are about your goals, the more likely you are to attain them. 7. Plan, plan, plan. For details on specific steps for pulling together a fair or other event, go to CommuteSmart.info, and choose promotional help under the Employer Help section. 8. Get the word out. People are so inundated with information, it takes a lot to have your invitation noticed. Try as many different approaches as possible: , handwritten notes, phone calls, the employee newsletter, staff meeting announcements, bulletin board, etc. It helps to recruit a few "cheerleaders" not the type that carry pom pons, but some employees who ll talk up the party to others around the staff breakroom or water cooler. 9. Have fun at your event! Remember that the best rideshare events happen because you re excited about them. 10. Follow up. Did you reach your goals? Did employees show up? Did they sign up? Take some time to evaluate your event so you can recreate any successes and learn from any mistakes.

6 Free workshops are offered to Southern California employers to help them stay on top of the latest in ridesharing. Metro, Inland Empire Commuter Services and Orange County Transportation Commission typically host workshops several times a year, providing education on topics ranging from marketing to transit services to the latest in incentives. Contact your county rideshare agency for a workshop schedule. Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) is a national membership organization for transportation professionals. It offers networking, workshops, special discounts and more. To join ACT or for more information, go to actweb.org or contact Virginia Gonzalez, the Southern California membership chair, at Women s Transportation Seminar aims to advance the careers of women in transportation with more than 3,000 members nationwide. For information, go to wtsinternational.org South Coast Air Quality Management District offers ETC training and certification, which is not only required for companies mandated under Rule 2202, but is also an excellent opportunity to rub elbows with other people who run rideshare programs. They also host periodic rountable meetings. For dates and locations of training sessions, go to aqmd.gov ETC Network Meetings are a chance for employers to get together to exchange information and ideas. Check out the Calendar section in this issue of CommuteSmart News to see if there s a network that meets near you. Don t see one? Start a network of your own! Most are run quite informally, typically sharing hosting duties and brown-bagging lunch. Simply calling one or two other ETCS in your area can get the ball rolling. (Your rideshare agency representative will be glad to help provide you with the contact information for nearby ETCs just like you.) Transportation Management Associations/Organizations bring together employers, charging a modest membership fee and offering benefits such as discounts on transit passes. Like network meetings, you ll have a chance to meet other employers at regularly scheduled meetings. TMAs/TMOs currently service in Glendale, Pasadena, South Bay/Westside and Warner Center. (See Calendar for contact information.)

7 EVENTS Orange County Transportation Commission s (OCTA) Rideshare Week kick-off workshop is Sept. 15, 8:30-11:30 a.m., at the OCTA offices in Orange. Get campaign materials and learn how to promote Rideshare Week at your work site. Call or vsandoval@octa.net Metrolink is offering free rides from its Fullerton station on Sunday, Sept. 17, to introduce new service. Go to octa.net for details. World Car Free Day is Sept. 22. Hundreds of cities throughout the world will participate; details are at 22september.org California Rideshare Week is Oct Call your county rideshare agency (listed in box, right) for details. NETWORK MEETINGS Coachella Valley ETC Network meets bi-annually; call IECS4HELP. Downtown Los Angeles Network meets quarterly; call Glendale TMA meets regularly; call Orange County Network meets quarterly; call or commuterconnection@octa.net Pasadena TMA meets Sept. 12;call John Miranda at Riverside County ETC Network meets tri-annually; call IECS4HELP. San Bernardino County ETC Network meets tri-annually; call IECS4HELP. Santa Monica ETC Network meets regularly; call South Bay/Westside TMA meets monthly; contact Christina Gallegos at , CGalle@ardenrealty.com Torrance Transportation Network meets regularly; call Kim Fuentes at Warner Center TMO meets monthly; call TRAINING Metro Commute Services requires employers to attend a briefing 60 days prior to their AQMD submittal date. The next briefing is Sept. 27, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information or to reserve a space, blanchardd@metro.net South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) offers one-day ETC training for $ Upcoming sessions are Sept. 13 in Burbank and Sept. 27 and Oct. 12 at the AQMD offices in Diamond Bar. Contact Lisa Patterson, lpatterson@aqmd.gov or go the AQMD s training web site at etctraining@aqmd.gov COMMUTE SMART NEWS Editor/Writer: Jill Smolinski Art Director: Harlan West For subscription information or to change your COMMUTE SMART NEWS address, contact your representative at the rideshare office nearest you. Metro Commute Services One Gateway Plaza MS Los Angeles, CA Business: OCTA s Commuter Connection 550 S. Main St., Orange, CA Mailing address: PO Box Orange, CA Business: Ventura County Transportation Commission 950 County Square Dr., Ste. 101, Ventura, CA Business: , ext. 119 Inland Empire Commuter Services Office location: 7355 Magnolia Ave. Riverside, CA Mailing address: PO Box Riverside, CA Business: IECS4HELP ( ) Commuter Infomation COMMUTE ( ) commutesmart.info PHOTO CREDITS: Main teaser page: Vanpool photo courtesy of RCTC Rideshare Week page: vanpool, bus and cyclist courtesty of RCTC; train passengers courtesy of Metro In Brief: Annual pass, courtesy of Metro Calendar: Metrolink photo courtesy of Metrolink. HWDS