Air Quality Contacts
For more information, please contact Victoria Martinez.
"Because the It All Adds Up steps are voluntary and easy to do, they're easy to introduce. We think it's catching on. We hear people saying they like doing something small that can make a difference."
Lou Pocalujka, Consumers Energy, Michigan's chief public utility company and coalition partner of the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, MI
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is working to make sure that having more people does not mean having more air pollution. One of the lowest-cost efforts with measurable results is Georgia Commute Options, GDOT's travel demand management program operated in partnership with the Atlanta Regional Commission and local Transportation Management Associations (TMAs).
Georgia Commute Options tackles the problem of single-occupancy vehicle travel in a number of ways: the program facilitates carpooling by making it easier to find people to share a car with, offers a “Guaranteed Ride Home” option in which registered carpoolers can receive up to five rides per year — with some restrictions — in any of 20 counties in the region, and promotes vanpooling and bicycling to work.
The program also partners with employers to provide incentives to their employees to find commuting alternatives. GDOT provides free services to partners, such as consultations, metrics, webinars on alternative work arrangements, onsite events, and customized employee surveys. By offering alternative transportation options to commuters, these programs help employers to boost employee morale, enhance recruitment efforts, and reduce parking and facilities costs. At present, more than 1,600 employers and property managers are participating, and awards are presented annually in recognition of excellence.
Having a telework program is one thing an employer can do to participate, and Georgia Commute Options provides assistance, webinars, and a toolkit to design a program that works best for a company or organization. Sample policies, telework agreements, and memos to management, as well as surveys and checklists are some of the resources available on the website. Georgia Commute Options also sponsors a yearly Telework Week to train both workers and managers on successful telework arrangements.
Biking to work also is supported and promoted. On its website, the program offers links to information regarding trails and other bicycle facilities, bike safety classes and advocacy, and a smart phone application developed by Georgia Tech University that records bicycle travel data. Also, there are links to bicycle maps issued by the Atlanta Regional Commission and to GDOT standards and planning and guidance for bike and pedestrian facilities.
Additionally, the Georgia Commute Options website provides links and information regarding nearly 20 transit systems both within the metropolitan Atlanta region and in other parts of the state.
For more information, see the Georgia Commute Options website at http://gacommuteoptions.com/.
