In this issue:
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Downtown bus route and schedule changes effective Sunday, May 24
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Traveling safely on the Portland Transit Mall
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Bus parade and fair Friday, May 22
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Updated proposal for bus and MAX service cuts
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Tax credit for employers
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WES Commuter Rail
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TriMet bike parking
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Drive Less Save More Video Challenge
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Metro Walk There! book – second edition available
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Join the Clark County Smart Commuter Program
Transportation Management Association Calendar
Westside
Transportation
Alliance
The Westside Transportation Alliance (WTA) has launched the Westside Commuter Club for Washington County. The club offers motivation and identity among commuters who want to drive less. As club member, employees track their sustainable commute trips online. The WTA calculates the trips and reports the results to the employer. For more information about arranging the program at your worksite, please contact Karen Frost by phone at 503-906-7961 or by email at karen@wta-tma.org.
Get ready for the Carefree Commuter Challenge
The Carefree Commuter Challenge (CCC) promotes sustainable transportation throughout the Metro region during the month of July. The challenge motivates employees to use sustainable transportation instead of driving alone in a car. Public transit, walking, bicycling, carpooling and vanpooling all count, and so does eliminating commute trips by telecommuting. To be eligible, you only need to use sustainable transportation modes at least six days during the month of July. For more information about enrolling in the challenge please visit the WTA website at www.wta-tma.org or contact the WTA at 503-906-7961.
In June a series of bicycle commuter clinics will be offered at the WTA each Monday from noon to 1 pm. The one-hour clinics will cover the principles of smart bicycle commuting recommended by the League of American Bicyclists. A small fee of $10 per class will be charged to cover insurance and materials. For information, please contact Pete by phone at 503-906-7961 or by email at pete@wta-tma.org.
Location:
WTA Training Room, 3rd Floor
12725 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton.
To get there by transit, ride the MAX Blue Line to the Beaverton Central stop.
Lloyd District TMA
The Lloyd Transportation Management Association (TMA) has introduced the Commuter Rewards incentive program for employees who use transit, bike, walk or tele-commute to get to work in the Lloyd District. To participate companies must register online. Each trip logged is an entry in the monthly raffle. Companies with the highest participation rates will be recognized quarterly. For more information, please call Heather or Melanie at 503-236-6441.
Spring 2009
Downtown bus route and schedule changes effective Sunday, May 24, 2009
On May 24, bus stops that were temporarily relocated to 3rd and 4th avenues during MAX Green Line construction will move back to the Portland Transit Mall on 5th and 6th avenues. More
Traveling safely on the Portland Transit Mall
Bus and MAX operator training is now under way on 5th and 6th avenues downtown. Find out what you need to know for safe travels downtown. More
Bus parade and fair Friday, May 22:
Celebrating buses returning to the Portland Transit Mall
In partnership with Portland State University, we're throwing a party downtown to celebrate the return of bus service to the renovated Portland Mall on 5th and 6th avenues. On Friday, May 22, 2009, a lively bus parade will travel along 5th Avenue, taking riders to PSU for a street fair. Join the Bus Parade at either Pioneer Place (SW 5th & Morrison) at 10:30 a.m., or hop on the bus at 5th & Main, or 5th & Columbia. More
back
to topUpdated proposal for bus and MAX service cuts:
Effective September 2009
TriMet has released its final proposal for service cuts to help offset the impacts of the recession. Public feedback, along with analysis of ridership data, nearby service, transit equity issues and school/job access, helped shape our final service cut proposal. More
Tax credit for employers:
Subsidizing qualifying transportation programs
Oregonians drive almost 39 billion miles a year. More than 70 percent of these miles are from single occupant vehicles. Employers can do a lot to reduce employee car trips and possibly get a tax credit by offering commuter solutions such as subsidies for public transit passes, commuter pool vehicles, and providing bicycle facilities. For more information about the qualifying projects, please visit the Oregon Department of Energy or call 1-800-221-8035.
WES Commuter Rail
Have you had a chance to ride on WES yet? TriMet's WES connects Wilsonville, Tualatin, Tigard and Beaverton. WES travels between Wilsonville and Beaverton in under 30 minutes during rush hour, Monday through Friday. Your All-Zone pass may be used to ride TriMet bus, MAX Light Rail and WES. More
- TriMet TV: Check out how savvy WES riders are using their commute time.
TriMet bike parking
TriMet makes it easy to “bike and ride”. MAX and WES stations have first-come, first-served bike racks. Or you can rent your own locker for a small fee. Interested in renting a TriMet bike locker? Check availability, then send an email to bikelockers@trimet.org or call 503-962-2104 to rent a locker or get on a waiting list. Please provide your full name, the location(s) you're interested in and your daytime phone number. The fee for bike lockers is $15 for 4 months, plus a $50 refundable key deposit. More
Drive Less Save More Video Challenge:
Choose the winning video in the Drive Less Video Challenge - vote by May 22
The Drive Less Video Challenge generated 77 amazing entries. Judges have narrowed down the list to the top contenders.
Vote for the one video in each category that best delivers the drive less message. Your vote will help select the grand prize winner whose video will run as a TV ad and the top three winners in each category. The winners will be unveiled at a film festival at the Hollywood Theatre in NE Portland on May 28. Watch and vote now! 
Metro Walk There! book – second edition now available
Just in time for summer, the Walk There! 50 treks in and around Portland and Vancouver book is available. The pocket-sized book may be purchased in bookstores and retail outlets including REI, Kaiser Permanente Pharmacies, Barnes and Noble, Travel Portland, Annie Bloom's Books and online at Metro for $9.95. You may also check out a copy at the Multnomah County Library.
To promote Walk There!, a series of 20 walking tours based on the book will be held through September. The acclaimed walking-guide writer Laura Foster will lead most of the tours. The tours are free to the public and will be accompanied by naturalists or trail guides. For information, please contact Lake Boggan by phone at 503-813-7574 or by email at lake.boggan@oregonmetro.gov.
Join the Clark County Smart Commuter Program:
Register in May for a chance to win prizes
If you live in Southwest Washington and travel south to Oregon for work, or work in Clark County, you can be a Smart Commuter. The first 200 people who are new to using an alternative commute (carpool, vanpool, transit, bike/walk) to work, register, and track their commute on the Commute Tracker may receive a $5 Starbucks gift card and will be entered to win one of three $300 Visa cash cards! For more information and to register go to www.clarkcommute.org.
