The freeway is packed. The air is thick with exhaust. And with no relief in sight from high gas prices, your commute is more painful than ever before.
Ready to consider alternatives to crawling along in your car?
Community Transit encourages you to take a dip in a carpool or vanpool. CT, which offers bus service throughout Snohomish County, operates 26 public-owned Park &Ride facilities. Less well known are the agency’s 20 Park &Pool locations, where CT leases parking spaces from local churches for weekday commuters to use. Park &Pools have been around since the late 1970s, but languish in relative obscurity.
They don’t need to stay there.
“Park &Pools are way under-utilized,” said Mark Munguia, a CT spokesman. “People pass by every day and have no idea there are spaces there for them to use.”
CT officials hope a 2006 signage campaign will raise awareness of Park &Pools. They want more users of carpools and vanpools to consider meeting at Park &Pool locations.
There is reason for optimism. Snohomish County already boasts the nation’s third largest vanpool program. King County ranks first.
“It’s the ‘vanpool Mecca’ of the United States,” Munguia said.
Community Transit keeps more than 300 vans, serving nearly 2,000 riders and supporting more than 60 routes. The purchase of 20 more vans was recently approved. Ridership is up and Munguia says the program will continue to expand.
It’s easy to join a vanpool and even easier to save money once you do. Community Transit operates an online ride-matching service. Plus, you share the price of the drive. Joining a vanpool could cut your commuting costs by 90 percent.
CT’s 20 Park &Ride lots currently can hold about 6,000 cars, while its 18 Park &Pool sites offer just 77 spaces. Park &Rides are filling up as CT struggles to keep up with rising property prices and customer demand – demand fueled by population growth, gas prices and an improved employment picture.
Expansion and promotion of the Park &Pool concept is a sensible alternative for CT. For commuters, it’s a smart and easy way to save money by sharing the ride.
For more information on how Community Transit can make your commute easier and cheaper, visit www.commtrans.org or call 425-353-RIDE or 1-800-562-1375.
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