Community Transit and Snohomish County's effort to "Curb the Congestion" was among the winners in the 2010 Governors Commute Smart Awards, presented recently at the Governors Mansion in Olympia.

The Curb the Congestion Program, a partnership of Community Transit and Snohomish County, was honored with a Commute Smart Community Award for its work to reduce traffic congestion along three specific corridors in Snohomish County by promoting alternatives to driving alone.

The program started in 2008 targeting the 164th Street corridor between Lynnwood and Mill Creek. By contacting local residents and businesses around the 164th Street corridor and providing subsidies to those interested in using an alternative like the bus or vanpooling, Curb the Congestion helped eliminate more than 6,200 trips in the corridor in 2008.

Two other corridors, 128th Street in south Everett and 20th Street in Lake Stevens, were added in 2009 and helped the program push the combined number of trips eliminated to nearly 14,000 in the three corridors.

This year, Curb the Congestion went high-tech with an online calendar where participants can log their alternative trips to qualify for incentive prizes. Incentive prizes, which replace the transit and vanpool subsidies, help motivate participants to choose a smarter trip instead of driving alone. The first of those prizes was awarded this past week to Nancy Gay of Mill Creek. Gay used to drive alone to work in Kirkland. When she started a new job on Seattles Harbor Island last year, she didnt want the expense and hassle of driving. 

She tried commuting by bus for the first time. Gay liked the bus, but the trip involved a couple of transfers. She realized she could add flexibility and exercise to her commute by bicycling for part of the trip. She now bikes to McCollum Park & Ride in the mornings, puts her bike on a Route 412 bus to downtown Seattle, then bikes from downtown to Harbor Island.

As the first monthly incentive award winner for the new program, Gay gets $250. Participants who log at least 12 days of trips during April, May and June can qualify for the quarterly incentive award of $1,000 to be drawn in July. Monthly and quarterly incentives will be awarded on an ongoing basis.

I really enjoy it, I get 30 to 45 minutes of exercise while I commute, said Gay. Its less expensive for me to take the bus than to drive. I also like the online calendar because its visual. It tracks your total savings, and thats an incentive, too.

Anyone 16 or older who lives or works in Snohomish County or Bothell and travels on one of the three targeted corridors can qualify for the Curb the Congestion incentives by logging smarter trips on at least 12 days a month. The program and incentives are funded by Snohomish County through development mitigation fees and federal grants.

Curb the Congestion provides residents and commuters with information and incentives to reduce their drive-alone trips. A dedicated Curb the Congestion specialist provides one-on-one help with planning trips.

Information about the program and the online calendar are available at www.communitytransit.org/CurbIt. Residents without Internet access can contact (425) 438-6136 or CurbIt@commtrans.org.

Community Transit is committed to improving our regions environment; helping the public think transit first is just one effort. From recycling its bus wash water to virtually eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in its vehicle maintenance shops, Community Transit strives to make our communities greener and more sustainable. 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.