The TDM Professional

Tune In To See How Much Fun You Can Have Carpooling

Visited any of the local transportation web sites recently? If so, you may have seen this ad for Carpoolers, ABC's new half-hour comedy debuting on October 2. You might have wondered why are these agencies promoting a network sitcom? The answer is because we hope viewers may try carpooling as a result.

ABC's web site describes the show thusly:

"Four guys who carpool to work every day come to savor their commute as the only safe time to commiserate about jobs, families - and secrets. Even though "what happens in the carpool stays in the carpool," they'll go beyond the boundaries of this fast-moving commuter confessional to get involved in each other's lives and develop friendships."

At the recent Association for Commuter Transportation Conference in Seattle many of us got see a bunch of trailers as well as a sneak preview of the pilot for the show. The image that I remember most is that in all of the scenes showing the vehicle from afar you see our four carpoolers in the HOV lane whizzing by everybody else gridlocked in the regular lanes. I believe that kind of image can be a very powerful reinforcement of one of the major advantages of carpooling - being able to use the HOV lanes. Andy maybe people will see that carpooling can save money and be fun too.

Let's hope some people watch the show and as a result next time they are stuck in traffic resolve to start carpooling. And let's hope they realize that there are many fine services to help them find a carpool such as Commuter Connections ridematching service, GoLoco or NuRide.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Visited any of the local transportation web sites recently? If so, you may have seen this ad for Carpoolers, ABC's new half-hour comedy debuting on October 2. You might have wondered why are these agencies promoting a network sitcom? The answer is because we hope viewers may try carpooling as a result.

ABC's web site describes the show thusly:

"Four guys who carpool to work every day come to savor their commute as the only safe time to commiserate about jobs, families - and secrets. Even though "what happens in the carpool stays in the carpool," they'll go beyond the boundaries of this fast-moving commuter confessional to get involved in each other's lives and develop friendships."

At the recent Association for Commuter Transportation Conference in Seattle many of us got see a bunch of trailers as well as a sneak preview of the pilot for the show. The image that I remember most is that in all of the scenes showing the vehicle from afar you see our four carpoolers in the HOV lane whizzing by everybody else gridlocked in the regular lanes. I believe that kind of image can be a very powerful reinforcement of one of the major advantages of carpooling - being able to use the HOV lanes. Andy maybe people will see that carpooling can save money and be fun too.

Let's hope some people watch the show and as a result next time they are stuck in traffic resolve to start carpooling. And let's hope they realize that there are many fine services to help them find a carpool such as Commuter Connections ridematching service, GoLoco or NuRide.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Google Maps Credited With Increasing Duluth's Transit Ridership

More good stuff from our new friends at the Permanent Campaign Consulting blog. They report that according to the SubwayBlogger that bus ridership in Duluth, Minnesota has increased 12% since they put the online Google Trip Planner on their website. The transit planner not only shows the routes but the transfer points and schedule too. They also report that the Google Transit Trip Planner shows you businesses within a block or two of your stop. Very cool.

We agree that anything we can do to get more and better information in as many different formats that people will use is a good thing.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

People Can Adapt to Avoid Congestion - Just Give Them the Tools

A CommuterPageBlog fan points us to a great article on the front page of today's very cool WorldChanging - Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future - web magazine about Seattle's current and surprisingly good experience with shutting down two lanes of its main arterial, Interstate 5 (I-5), for construction (Congestion as Incentive, Erica Barnett, August 17, 2007). Reporter Erica Barnett describes how after weeks of locals officials and media predicting disaster when the lanes were shut down (there's even a blog dedicated to the closing called "The Clog") that everyone is surprised that now that the construction is here that the drive is smoother than ever.

Now that they've had a moment to process things, Seattle officials surmise that "Drivers are adaptable. When faced with the prospect of gridlock—and given ample warning and time to prepare—people found alternate routes, rode transit, worked from home, and avoided unnecessary trips."  Ms. Barnett goes on to point out that people adapted when this happened after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake too. She goes on to posit that congestion, whether it is of the I-5 ilk or of the congestion pricing kind, can effect people's decision making process and provide them with an incentive to not drive. She continues:

"For congestion-as-incentive to work in the long term, it has to be paired with alternatives that are viable in the long term--flexible work schedules that allow workers to stay home a few days a week, mass transit that is affordable, frequent, and convenient, and an infrastructure that supports bike and pedestrian commuting, among other things."

All good points. And it sounds like Seattle's I-5 experience is similar to our own Douglass Bridge experience. D.C. officials did a good job of warning people about the construction and discussing alternatives and lo and behold people adapted with a bunch switching to Metro.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a biking/Metro commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria.

Any TDM Agencies Out There Willing To Try a Campaign This Edgy?

The good folks at the Carfree USA Blog pointed us to this "brilliant piece of social marketing from New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority (Australia)." We thought it so funny we had to share. According to the Roads and Traffic Authority "All the ads in the world showing the serious injury and death that speeding can cause are becoming less effective. Increasingly, young guys simply reject this message. They have an “it won’t happen to me” attitude. The Speeding - No One Thinks Big of You campaign takes a totally different approach." I wonder if any agency around here could do something so edgy? Watch it here and enjoy.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and a biking/Metro commuter from Rosemont in Alexandria

Dump the Pump Day June 21

  The second annual National Dump the Pump Day is June 21. On June 21, people across the country will "dump the pump" and ride public transportation. The event is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association. More than 90 transit systems are participating in "dump the pump" activities this year.

"Dump the Pump Day" is a public awareness day that emphasizes the environmental benefits of using public transportation. The day also offers the opportunity for people to beat the high price of gasoline and support public transportation as in important travel option that helps reduce our nation's dependence on oil.

U.S. public transportation system help to create a healthier environment by reducing smog=producing pollutants and greenhouse gases. Public transportation produces nearly 50 percent less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger miles, as private vehicles. In addition, U.S. public transportation systems save 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline very year, the equivalent of 108 million cars filling up in a year.

So on Thursday, June 21 consider "dumping the pump" and taking ART, Metro or even walk or bike to work.

Bobbi Greenberg, Arlington County Commuter Services