Spotlight of the Month:  Carpooling and Vanpooling 

"Carpooling is a great way to travel with friends. Have fun, catch up on what's going on with friends and save some money on gas and parking." --  Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn

Kids!!

Who carpools and why?  Families, co-workers, and The Mountaineers   Washington's pre-eminent outdoor recreation club, recommends carpooling to events, meetings and group trips. The club's Members Service Team provides a ride-matching service, a network and guidelines, because it's good for the earth and a great example for kids. Carpooling with the Mountaineers How about you? Scroll down to Tools to see if car and vanpooling can work for you.

Options for Getting Around

Bicycles and pedestrians detoured along East Marginal Way are still moving during a construction closure that began on December 5 as crews began to rebuild the sidewalk, repave East Marginal Way South and add a southbound bike lane in the road. Walkers and cyclists will appreciate the improvement that is scheduled for completion in the spring--a smoother surface and no more water pooling in the path when it rains.  WSDOT Project Information

  Are you Good to Go?  520 Tolling starts December 29.  Registered vanpools and transit riders do not have to pay the toll, and King County Metro and Sound Transit have added 130 daily bus trips to routes on SR 520.  Find a seat on a vanpool at Seat Finder  and save up to $7 per day!  If you plan to share costs by carpooling, be sure to set up a "good to go" account at Good to Go Accounts.  Visit Get You There to plan your next trip across Lake Washington.

  Long-Awaited Ship Canal Trail Now Open!  Bicycle enthusiasts, area industry representatives and funding partners celebrated the opening of the Ship Canal Trail last month as crews completed the final segment of the trail from Emerson Street near Fisherman's Terminal to 11th Avenue West. By reconnecting Queen Anne and Magnolia with a convenient path and eliminating a missing key link in the city and regional trail system, it is possible to bicycle from Redmond to downtown Seattle largely on trails.    

Improve walking and biking in your neighborhood!   Apply for a city grant by February 1, 2012, to improve walking, biking and other ways to get around in your neighborhood. Neighborhood Projects Fund  builds community-prioritized pedestrian improvements such as curb bulbs, crosswalks or spot improvements to support your travel needs.   

Tools to Help You Walk, Bike and Ride

Vanpool Seat Finder comes to RideshareOnline in early 2012. Finding a seat on an existing vanpool will be easier as Metro will launches its latest rideshare tool. Vanpool Seat Finder will take your basic commute information, search the RideshareOnline.com database, and give you a list of potential vanpool matches.    

Is carpoolling or vanpooling right for you?  Check these rules of the road for folks who ride-share. If you agree with the principles of The Courteous Carpooler and can follow these simple courtesies, you'd make a great carpool or vanpool participant.  Then visit RideshareOnLine.com to find your match. 

Inspiration and Incentives to Walk, Bike and Ride

Remote Work-sites Work. A concept of work that has struggled to find its way into mainstream offices around the world may finally be coming into its own. Even the term "Telework"  may have outdated itself. 

Wheel Options Winner Announced. Congratulations go out to Christopher Rainey, an REI employee who won the $2,500 cash prize in the state-wide fall 2011 Wheel Options promotion.

Share the Ride and Get Rewarded in 2012!  Form a new King County Metro commuter van in 2012 and earn a $50 MasterCard Rewards Card as a new rider.  Drivers and primary bookkeepers can earn up to $150!  Already sharing the ride?  Every month in 2012, King County Metro will be rewarding 50 extra-special commuters with a $50 MasterCard Rewards Card just for sharing the ride at least seven days a month. Learn more at Rideshare Rewards

Upcoming 

  A reminder that Ballard Bridge maintenance will close one lane and a pedestrian walkway through mid-January.  Cyclists will be detoured to the Fremont Bridge or Ballard Locks. Watch local news for updates about full weekend closures.   Maps and project details 

Special Events and How to Get There:  

• Walk, Bike or Ride to Kwanzaa: Ocheami featuring Kofi and Amma Anang Thursday, Dec 29 at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm at the Children's Museum as part of the Festivals of Light Exhibit.Get there by Metro bus # 1, 2, 3, 4,, 13 and 16 or take the monorail from Westlake Center.  Plan Your Trip Here 

• Recapture the Revolutionary Spirit of Martin Luther King. Rally and march at 11:00 am Saturday, Jan. 16, 2012, Garfield High School, 400 23rd Avenue. Event details  Get there on Metro Route #3, 4, 8, 27 and 48.

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• 2012-Lunar New Year.  It's the Year of the Dragon:  

   

Celebrate at Hin Hay Park Saturday, January 28, 2012, from 11 AM - 4 PM, Take any bus in the downtown transit tunnel or Metro #7, 36, and 99 to Maynard Ave S & S King St.

Celebrate Tet in Seattle at the Seattle Center. Take Metro #1, 2, 3, 4, 13 and 16 or the Monorail from Westlake Center. 

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