Be Prepared for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season officially started on June 1 and will run through November 30.  As a reThink commuter, we wanted to make you aware of some things to consider in case a hurricane heads our way.

·         Once winds hit a sustained 35 mph on the ground, transit service will be cancelled. Which means no bus to get you home!

·         The same applies in case of flooding: if an area is flooded, transit service will be cancelled in that area.

·         In case you're a paratransit rider: service will be cancelled 12 hours in advance of the expected 35 mph winds. At that point, most paratransit providers will only be able to provide life sustaining medical trips.

·         The Emergency Ride Home program cannot be used to reimburse you for trips home in the event of an evacuation. Inclement weather is not one of our "qualifying" emergency events.

·         If a hurricane is near and you think you may be sent home in the middle of the day ... it may be best to take the whole day off, unless your carpool/vanpool group is going to take you home or you have a different back-up plan in case transit service is cancelled.

Learn more about Hurricane Preparedness by reading Florida's 2011 Severe Weather Awareness Guide.

Are You Ready for the 2-Mile Challenge?

High gas prices are hitting American families in their wallets and pockets pretty hard these days.  But did you know that more than 40 percent of urban trips in the United States are less than two miles, yet 90 percent of those short trips are taken by car? 

Many of these trips could easily be taken another way - like on foot or by bicycle - saving money, helping the environment, and even affording the chance to stay fit all at the same time. 

Sound interesting?

If so, you'll be pleased to hear about a new competition called the 2 Mile Challenge that demonstrates how many car trips could be replaced by bikes.

The challenge is pretty simple.  Organizers have selected three non-profit team sponsors.  Each team recruits members, who log their miles traveled by bicycle from May to October.  Anyone can register online and join a team - and you don't even have to go to any meetings!

The gold team pedals for the Alliance for Biking and Walking, the blue team pedals for 350.org, and the red team pedals for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. 

Challenge organizers aim to replace 100,000 car trips, and sponsor Clif Bars will donate a total of $100,000 to bicycle advocacy and climate protection.  The team with the most miles and points wins the largest grant for their particular organization.

The challenge builds a community, encourages more citizens to get out and bike, and supports nonprofits that are working to increase active transportation.   But the best thing about the challenge is that every mile counts.  If you only ride your bike five times a year, go ahead and sign up - those five trips will help your team.  Even if you only ride once, that trip counts.

Make a commitment to saving money, getting exercise and helping the environment by riding your bike on short trips today - sign up here to be a part of the 2 Mile Challenge.

Last month we sent out an email about the City of Orlando's Bike to Work Day event with Mayor Buddy Dyer. Not only did we participate, but almost 200 other people did as well!

Participating in this event was a great starting point to form a weekly Bike to Work group here at our office. Since the event in May, our group of co-workers have biked to work every Friday - and we plan to expand to more times each week (and that's with 90 degree heat in the afternoon!).

We'd love to hear your stories about biking to work. Feel free to send us an email with your experiences and lessons learned!

LYNX has scheduled public workshops June 20-25 to introduce proposed changes for Link 4 (S. U.S. 441/Kissimmee), Link 20 (Malibu Street/Pine Hills), Link 36 (Lake Richmond) and Link 200 (I-4 Express from Volusia County). 

The workshops are an opportunity to view the proposed changes and to offer public comment. The LYNX Board of Directors will vote on the proposal at the July 28 meeting in the LYNX Central Station 2nd Floor Board Room. If the proposal passes, the changes will become effective Aug. 14. Below are the dates of the public workshops.

When: Monday, June 20 from 3pm to 7pm
Where: LYNX Central Station Terminal Lobby, 455 N. Garland Ave. Orlando 32801
  

When:Tuesday, June 21 from 7am to 11am
Where: Seminole Centre SuperStop, 3653 S. Orlando Dr. Sanford 32773
 

When: Tuesday, June 21 from 3pm to 7pm

Where: Osceola Square Mall SuperStop, Armstrong Blvd. & W. Columbia Ave. Kissimmee 34741

When: Wednesday, June 22 from 7am to 11am

Where: LYNX Central Station Terminal Lobby, 455 N. Garland Ave. Orlando 32801
 

When: Thursday, June 23 from 7am to 11am

Where: Osceola Square Mall SuperStop, Armstrong Blvd. & W. Columbia Ave. Kissimmee 34741

When: Thursday, June 23 from 3pm to 7pm
Where: Seminole Centre SuperStop, 3653 S. Orlando Dr. Sanford 32773
 

When: Saturday, June 25 from 10am to 2pm

Where: LYNX Central Station Terminal Lobby, 455 N. Garland Ave. Orlando 32801

Can't attend a meeting? Submit your comments online here.

For more information, including instructions on requesting special accommodations for a disability, please visit www.golynx.com.