RIDE Solutions wants you to take the challenge. The Clean Commute Challenge is coming to Roanoke in May. Commuters can pledge to bike, walk, carpool, telecommute or take public transportation during Bike Month as a way to promote a cleaner commute. Pledges can be made online at ridesolutions.org.  Clean commuter pledges will be eligible for a prize drawing.  This is open to all commuters in Roanoke, the New River Valley and Lynchburg areas.

Here is the press release from RIDE Solutions.

RIDE Solutions, the region’s popular sustainable transportation service, is encouraging area commuters to take the Clean Commute Challenge this May by biking, walking, carpooling, telecommuting or taking public transit instead of driving alone to work at least one day during the month.  Commuters can take the pledge online at www.ridesolutions.org.  The challenge is open to all commuters in the Roanoke, New River Valley, and greater Lynchburg areas.

Jeremy Holmes, Program Director for RIDE Solutions, thinks this is a good time for drivers to explore their commuting options.  “Gas prices have topped $4 a gallon in the region, at a time when many families are still feeling the effects of a shaky economy.  Since most families pay over $3,000 a year in commuting-related expenses, it makes financial sense to make the simply change of trying a new commute mode even as little as one day a week.”

Clean commuting makes economic sense for the region as well as for the individual households.  May is the start of ozone pollution season, when the heat of summer can react with vehicle and other emissions to create smog, which can affect public health and ruin majestic viewsheds.  With the emphasis the region has made over the past several years in branding its value as an outdoors destination, it’s important to recognize that keeping our air clean and maintaining the region’s natural beauty is vital to the our economic competitiveness.

The Clean Commute Challenge is one initiative through which individuals can play a part in both environmental stewardship, economic development, all while saving a ton of money.

Commuters who take the online pledge will be eligible for a prize drawing the day of the event.  Area businesses, governments, and other organizations are also encouraged to form teams to compete for the Cleanest Team in the region in several categories based on organization size.  Winners will be announced the afternoon of Clean Commute Day.
May is Bike Month!

The Clean Commute Challenge is part of Bike Month in Roanoke.  The Bike Month mission is to bring attention to both the opportunities and challenges of bicycling as recreation and transportation in the Roanoke Valley by creating events that involve all interest, skill, and age level of cyclists.   More information can be found at www.bikeroanoke.org.