Residents and commuters along three high congestion roads in Snohomish County are being targeted by a Community Transit program urging them to get out of their cars.

Drivers can even get personalized assistance to plan a bus trip, find a biking or walking route, or join a carpool or vanpool. Plus, they have a chance to win some incentive prizes.

Curb the Congestion is a partnership between Community Transit and Snohomish County to reduce traffic and encourage healthy travel options on congested roadways. The program provides people who live and drive along the designated roads with information and incentives to reduce their drive-alone trips.

A dedicated Curb the Congestion specialist provides one-on-one help with planning trips. Participants who log their alternative trips at least 12 days a month are eligible to win a $250 monthly incentive prize or a $1,000 quarterly incentive prize.

Curb the Congestion is funded by Snohomish County through development mitigation fees and federal grants, and operated by Community Transit. The county identified three specific high congestion corridors because they could benefit the most from this type of program based on the existing infrastructure (i.e., roads, bike lanes, sidewalks and transit facilities), constraints to further road improvements and development patterns.

The three corridors are:

• 164th Street SW/SE (between Lynnwood and Mill Creek)
• 128th Street (between Everett and Mill Creek)
• 20th Street SE (between Lake Stevens and Everett)

Anyone 16 years or older who lives or works in Snohomish County and travels one of these corridors can participate. When signing up, participants will be encouraged to bus, carpool, vanpool, bike or walk instead of driving alone. In addition to utilizing a travel specialist, Curb the Congestion participants have new web tools and resources available.

An easy online calendar helps people log their trips and tracks eligibility for prize drawings. The calendar can also track the impact of an individuals new travel alternative, such as air pollution prevented and money saved. The website also has resources for bus information, maps, carpool matching, a Bike Buddy program and other tools. Information and registration is available at www.communitytransit.org/CurbIt.

Residents without Internet access can contact (425) 438-6136 or CurbIt@commtrans.org. Curb the Congestion was first launched in May 2008 on the 164th Street corridor after the county declared that road at "ultimate capacity." In the first 18 months of the program, about 400 people cut their drive-alone trips about 60 percent, and a follow-up survey indicated that about 90 percent of participants continued using bus or vanpool after their formal participation ended.

Community Transit strives to help Puget Sound commuters think transit first. With 62 local and commuter bus routes and one of the nations largest vanpool programs, the agency is a leader in finding new ways to make alternative transportation an attractive option.

Call Community Transit at (425) 353-RIDE or (800) 562-1375 for bus information, or (888) 814-1300 for carpool or vanpool information, or go to www.communitytransit.org.