SUN RIDESHARE - Pima Association of Governments

SUN RIDESHARE
December 2011
The Commuter Contest is BACK
Yahoo! The
Commuter Contest
is back beginning
January 2012 and
will run through
December 2012.
Hundreds of dollars
in prizes will be
given away each month. As with the first installation of
the Commuter Contest, there will be new prizes and new
rules every month, so everyone will have a chance to win.
The monthly contest will be posted on the Sun Rideshare
website the first of the month and emailed to all TRP
Transportation Coordinators and registered commuters.
Facebook fans will get an early preview of the next
month’s contest, so “like” Sun Rideshare on Facebook.
Email lcomrie@pagnet.org to get a Commuter Contest
flier for your rideshare bulletin board.
Start planning for Bike Fest 2012
Bike Fest 2012 is
looking bigger and
better than ever. Bike
Fest will run from
March 17 to April 15
with the week of April
9 being Bike to Work
Week. The downtown
celebration for Bike to
Work Day will be Friday,
April 13, and most likely will be held on the plaza next to
the Joseph Valdez Library at Stone and Pennington. Now
is the time to start planning your company-wide Bike to
Work Day. TRP staff is available to help you with ideas and
event planning.
Some Bike Fest activities already planned include:
• Old Pueblo Grand Prix, March 17, a professional bike
race held downtown
• Cyclovia, March 18, a five-mile loop in south Tucson is
closed to auto traffic but open for walkers, runners,
bikers and skaters
• Walk ‘n Roll to School, April 13, local schools promote
walking and biking to school
• Bike to Work Day, April 13
• GABA Bike Swap, April 15, meet on 4 th Avenue to get a
sweet deal on a new or used bike
PAG reorganizes and moves TDM into new department-
Two PAG staffers join the Travel Reduction Program
Pima Association
of Governments
recently announced
the formation of a
new Sustainable
Environment Program.
This program combines
watershed and air
quality planning
with travel demand
management to create
an integrated and
cohesive group poised to
Lee Comrie, Claire Zucker and Melanie Alverez
work with sustainability
efforts throughout the region. Claire Zucker, formerly PAG’s Watershed Planning
Manager, has been named the Sustainable Environment Program Director.
As part of the reorganization, Lee Comrie and Melanie Alvarez will work on the
Travel Reduction Program and TDM-related projects. Lee joined PAG in 1992 and
was the Air Quality Manager for the last 11 years. In her new role as Sustainability
Coordinator, Lee will contact new businesses in Tucson and help current TRP
employers with their annual plans and travel reduction activities. Melanie, a recent
graduate of the University of Arizona in Environmental Sciences, will split her time
between TDM and water quality. Melanie will cover the many outreach events that
Sun Rideshare participates in each year.
Welcome new TRP Task Force Members
Travel Reduation Program staff is pleased to welcome new and returning
members of the Task Force. We had a great response to the call for
nominations, so the TRP Task Force is fully staffed for the next two-year term.
The next meeting is Jan. 9, 2012, at 10 a.m. at PAG’s offices downtown. All
the meeting information and schedule is available on the Sun Rideshare
website: http://www.pagnet.org/tabid/330/default.aspx
MAJOR EMPLOYERS (12)
Heather Brown CoWorx Staffing Service
JURISDICTION REPRESENTATIVES (6)
Charles Franz The University of Arizona Loren Churchman Town of Marana
Ron Gonzales Raytheon Missile Systems Beth Gorman Pima County
John Byler Federal Correctional Complex Yolanda Parker City of Tucson
Tina Cook T.U.S.D.
Richard Salaz City of South Tucson
Jennie Newman The Chamberlain Group
Aimee Ramsey Town of Oro Valley
Rene Reichardt Pima Community College Debbie Bice Town of Sahuarita
Barbara Ricca IBM
Dr. Tricia Peña Cienega High School
Willie Wash Arizona State Prison - Tucson Complex
Kathleen E. Fridye Providence Service Corp.
Katherine Lunde Fry’s Food Store
a program of:
177 N. Church Ave, Sutie 405
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 792-1093 [tel]
(520) 620-6981 [fax]
www.884RIDE.org
TRP EMPLOYEE SURVEY HIGH PERFORMERS
Alternative Mode Usage
AMU vs Goal:
Afni Foothills 30.7% vs. 27%
Community Food Bank 16.4% vs. 15%
Health Net 31.7% vs. 29%
High Response Rates on 2011 Survey:
Health Net 96.5%
Town of Oro Valley 82.2%
Community Food Bank 78.9%
Albertson’s 961 72.7%
Albertson’s 960 71.2%

TC Spotlight: Heather Brown
CoWorx, a staffing agency that has been largely focused on the
East Coast, opened in Tucson in August this year and currently
has over 300 employees. Currently, it provides staffing for a large
Technology Center called Synchronoss Technologies. Heather
Brown, the Onsite Manager, has already begun to tackle the
transportation challenges to
help her employees. With
issues such as agents not
having their own car or
reliable transportation, transit
service that does not operate
during all business hours and
employee schedules that
fluctuate every few months,
Heather is doing her part. She
invited TRP representatives to
CoWorx twice in December to
talk to employees and discuss alternative modes of transportation.
Interested employees were able to sign up onsite through the
Sun Rideshare website. She offered a $25 gas card raffle to those
volunteering to “give a ride.” CoWorx already provides bike racks in
the parking lot, printed materials and is working on other incentives
to help employees with their transportation needs.
Heather has chosen to be actively involved and will serve on the TRP
Task Force. “I joined the Task Force as a way to tackle head-on one
of the largest challenges our employees face. My team and I hear
on a daily basis what a struggle many of these agents have trying
to coordinate transportation to and from work on a fluctuating
schedule. While on the TRP Task Force, I hope to be able to bring
fresh ideas and solutions to the table. It also provides an opportunity
to better train my onsite team to go above and beyond to help our
associates find transportation to and from work, while reducing the
impact it has on our environment.”
Kevin Larson
Commuter Spotlight:
Kevin Larson, an employee at Sargent Aerospace
and Controls, is on his feet all day assembling parts
for planes and trains. So after a hard day at the office,
the last thing he wants to do is drive 22 miles home.
Fortunately, Kevin doesn’t have to drive home because
he rides in a vanpool. As a vanpool passenger Kevin
relaxes in the van, talks to his buddies, reads or sleeps.
Kevin has been riding to work in the van for four years
now. He meets the group at a Basha’s parking lot near
his home in Catalina. Two other passengers are picked
up on the way to Sargent. Kevin says it may take a
little bit longer to get to and from work, but it is well
worth it with the savings and the stress-free commute.
The monthly vanpool fare is a great deal, because
his employer contributes to the cost as does Pima
Association of Governments. Kevin estimates that he
saves around $250 per month plus the savings on his
auto insurance, which totals about $3,000 for the year.
Sun Rideshare announces
new features on our website
• New Match Alerts
You can sign up to receive a text message or an email
whenever there is a new carpool or vanpool match for you.
• Facebook Link
Sun Rideshare now features integration with Facebook
so you can log in using your Facebook account. See the Sun
Rideshare page for instructions.
• Commute Calendar Report Reminders
If you are participating in a commuter contest and have
registered with Sun Rideshare, you can receive alerts to
remind you to fill out your commute calendars before
the end of the month. You can see the new feature on the
Welcome screen (first item under My Registration). Once you
check the “please send me alerts,” a menu pops up that has
the days of the week and time buttons for you to set.
• Vanpool Finder
This feature allows you to quickly find a vanpool that travels
from your home ZIP code to your work ZIP code.