Most Recent Posts
I'm winding up the last hours of the annual Association for Commuter Transportation International Conference in Atlanta. The sessions have been fascinating, but two stick out in particular: One on "telling your story," and another on initatives...
A few days ago I was talking with a neighbor of mine who is in the homebuilding industry, and the conversation turned to "being Green." One of the problems he saw was an increasing tendency for companies to market goods or services as environmentally...
Over the next several days, I hope to offer a series of brief posts about Transportation Demand Management (TDM) - the technical name for what RIDE Solutions does by advocating carpooling, bicycling, walking and public transit. TDM touches on a...
Here is our new commercial on YouTube. It was a lot of fun to shoot - thanks to Ross Laguza and Robb Rouse of Big Lick Conspiracy, who conceived of and starred in the spot. Particularly Robb, who had to wear the devil suit for much of the...
I attended the Statewide Rail Plan Public Information Meeting last night. Thanks to those of you who found it through Facebook and showed up to make a comment or simple show your support through your presence.On the whole, the comments were positive. ...
From the AdvanceChristiansburg blog comes good thoughts about alternative transportation and kind words for RIDE Solutions:If
we as a Town are to maintain our quality of life and sustainability as
a community, we must carefully consider the foregoing...
The Roanoke Times has a couple of pieces on the possible return of passenger rail to the Roanoke region. Jeff Sturgeon's news piece looking at the existing plan and the cost gives a good overview of the challenges facing the implementation of passenger,...
One of the most commonly-heard objections I get when encouraging someone to register for a carpool match is, "Oh, I live way out in XYZ. No one is carpooling from there." This despite the fact that I've probably talked to a dozen other people...
Check out my Letter to the Editor in today's Roanoke Times (first letter on the page). It's in response to an earlier writer defending her SUV ownership against a critic complaining of the gas-guzzling vehicle. The defense is correct - a vehicle...
Sharebike will be offering free bicycle inspections at the upcoming Roanoke Public Libraries Health and Safety Fair.Where: Main Library, Downtown Roanoke, and surrounding Elmwood ParkWhen: Saturday July 26th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pmContact Sharebike...
DRPT is taking a grand tour of the state, looking for public input on the statewide rail plan. This plan will, to a large extent, determine how and where money is spent on providing rail service - both freight and passenger. So, if getting...
Many folks have encountered, and rightly criticized, this recent piece in the Washington Post bewailing the potential sale of the Hummer by GM. Generally, I'm skeptical that many people really need to own a Hummer, though I can envision some scenarios...
From Blue Ridge IT News, a revelatory experience:Living in SW Virignia one doesn't think of public transportation as a means of efficient travel between Blacksburg and Roanoke. Well, consider me converted. The new (to me) Smart Way Commuter Bus...
Of course, this is the ideal:With gas prices so high, Ferrum College is allowing some employees to telecommute one day a week....[Natalie] Faunce [Director of Public Relations for Ferrum] said it was easy for Ferrum to switch to the telecommute plan because...
RIDE Solutions now has a photostream on Flickr. Right now, I've posted some historical images - propaganda posters from WWII (including the infamous, "When you drive alone, you drive with Hitler!" poster) but I'll be working to get Clean Commute...
I'm experimenting with a bicycle wiki in the hopes that we can use this collaborative technology to help unite some of the various bicycle factions in the region - local governments, bike clubs, advocates, and commuter assistance. I've taken the...
This just came from the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition. Roanoke City wants to get home-brew biodiesel makers connected up with restaurants who will supply you with waste grease:
Roanoke City has been using biodiesel in its own fleet for over...
We are currently in the midst of a public input window regarding some new regulations that VDOT may put into place. These regulations have the potential to drastically alter the kinds of roads that VDOT will take into the public system, which, in...
Through the power that is the internet, I was contacted by a researcher for People Magazine who is looking for someone who has responded to the recent increase in gas prices by undertaking an uncoventional commute. They're looking beyond carpooling,...
A colleague of mine here at the Regional Commission often refers to the "I" word as the main objection he hears to alternative transportation options, the "I" word being "Inconvenience." I find it remarkable that people think that being stuck driving...
Thank you to everyone who participated in Clean Commute Day, and particularly to those intrepid cycles who biked to work that morning and were able to stop by our downtown hospitality tents. We'll have some video and photos up soon, so keep watching...
We're up to 140 pledges going in to the final week leading up to Clean Commute Day. The rankings remain unchanged, with the City's margin growing as the libraries get energized. We're looking at a inter-departmental battle now between Planning,...
Every day sets a new record. We're only filling up half a tank, now, trying to eek out a few more MPG by weighing the car down less. This is probably more psychological than anything else. I am doing more shopping trips on my bicycle. ...
Though the top performers haven't changed, there are some strong challengers on their way. Roanoke County residents need just one pledge to tie the City; Salem is in third at 13 pledges. As far as employers go, the City has jumped ahead with...
Good luck to the City of Roanoke's Planning, Building, and Development department, who just formed a Clean Commute Team and is challenging other City departments for Clean Commute Supremacy!The City still has a little ways to go to catch up to Roanoke...