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Alliance and SamTrans Support Earth Day/Host ''Good for You, San Mateo County!'' Program and Event

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 April 2007, 12:00 CDT

The Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance and the San Mateo County Transit District will kick off "Good for You, San Mateo County!" from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., April 17th, at the San Mateo Caltrain Station. The program encourages commuters to show their support for Earth Day by using an alternative form of transportation, such as bicycling, walking, carpooling or taking public transportation, at least three times during the week before the environmental celebration.

Diane Howard, Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance chair and Redwood City council member, and SamTrans Chair Marc Hershman will speak at the event. Former San Francisco Giants pitching ace Bill Laskey will pose for photographs, sign autographs and address the audience. There will be refreshments and drawing prizes, including iPod Shuffles, a two night stay at the Inn at Oyster Point, baseballs autographed by J.T. Snow, pizza gift certificates, Caltrain and SamTrans tickets, and movie theatre ticket and refreshment packages.

"Our goal is to show solo drivers how they can embrace the spirit of Earth Day and make a difference," said Howard. "Once people use an alternative to driving, such as taking SamTrans or Caltrain, we're confident they will see that helping our community is not only easy, but also can save them time and money."

According to the American Public Transportation Association, traffic congestion costs everyone. On a personal level, the average household could save $6,200 a year by using public transportation. In the Bay Area, drivers spend 155,000 hours a day sitting in traffic, which translates into $1.8 million in lost productivity. In addition to the economic costs, there are environmental costs: almost 70 percent of the Bay Area's carbon monoxide comes from motor vehicles.

To participate in the "Good for You, San Mateo County!" program people can sign up at the kick-off event or submit a form online at www.commute.org. Forms will be accepted until 6 p.m., April 17th.

About The Alliance

The Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance is dedicated to addressing the challenges involved in getting to and from work in San Mateo County. The agency's goal is to help people find ways to get to work and around the community that are faster, cheaper, and/or easier through commuter information, employer programs, and city transportation demand management partnerships.

The Alliance is San Mateo County's transportation demand management agency, whose primary mission is to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles traveling to, through and in San Mateo County, while reducing vehicle emissions to improve our air quality. The Alliance is funded by the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

A major strength of the Alliance is its ability to deal with transportation issues through its extensive network of allies. Creating partnerships provides the power to relieve traffic congestion in San Mateo County. The Alliance is located on the Web at www.commute.org and at 1-650-588-8170.

About SamTrans

SamTrans operates 55 routes throughout San Mateo County and into parts of San Francisco and Palo Alto. Nearly 15 million passengers ride SamTrans throughout the year. The district also provides Redi-Wheels paratransit services; administers Caltrain commuter rail service and operates a shuttle program that takes people from transit centers to major employment sites. For more information about SamTrans schedules and fares, call 1-800-660-4287 or visit www.samtrans.com.

Source: Business Wire

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