By goDCgo . on
2/24/2011
If you thought that goDCgo couldn’t tie any topic in to transportation, you would be wrong. Because we’re coming in just under the wire with our take on romance in honor of that most anticipated and/or dreaded of holidays—Valentine’s Day. Your roses may be wilted, but as far as we’re concerned, love is still in the air.
So, how does transportation have anything to do with romance? Glad you asked. Kaid Benfield of Switchboard NRDC recently produced a compelling article in which the quality of public transit figures significantly into what qualifies a city as one of the most romantic in the world, a list which includes Prague, Paris, Venice and Rome. Among the attributes that figured into his “ten most romantic cities” list, Benfield included “lively, walkable diverse downtowns” and “extensive and well-used public transportation.” The reason, he explains, is that “people fall in love...
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By goDCgo . on
2/23/2011
Show us whatcha got! Or, actually, tell anyone you know who lives in Arlington to show us what they’ve got (sorry D.C. people, this one’s not for you). We’re wicked excited to let you know that the nice folks at Arlington’s Car-Free Diet have issued a challenge to Arlingtonians. Here’s the gist of it: they’re looking for a few good people who typically get around by car, but who are game to go car-free for 30 days in the 2nd annual Car-Free Diet Skeptics Challenge. During those 30 days, contestants will realize instant celebrity status as they blog about their experiences, and their bright, shiny mugs are plastered to the Car-Free Diet website. Contestants will receive everything they need to make this challenge easier, including:
A SmarTrip card loaded with monthly fare value, good for riding ART, Metrorail, Metrobus and more.
A Trek bicycle and cycling gear from Revolution Cycles...
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By goDCgo . on
2/16/2011
When it comes to our nation’s commitment to investing in bicycling and pedestrian projects, Caron Whitaker of America Bikes reports that “12% of all trips are by bike or on foot, yet America spends only about 1% of its transportation budget on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.“ Add to that the startling statistic that nearly 14% of all traffic-related fatalities are bicyclists and pedestrians, and you begin to see a picture emerge that something’s kind of screwy in the land of transportation funding—or as Whitaker puts it more professionally, “we’re over-represented in road deaths but under-represented in road spending.” Indeed, we are.
So, what’s it going to take to get the spending pendulum to swing on over to what would seem to be a proportionately appropriate amount of funding? Biking and walking advocates have been extolling the many benefits...
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By goDCgo . on
2/11/2011
Are you itching to hit the road and get away for a spell? Take a look at what intercity buses can do for you. Last week, we blogged about how they were the fastest growing transportation mode in 2010, and now we’re here with some good news! Megabus announced that they still have free and $1 tickets available as part of their winter seat giveaway. Megabus services 14 cities from Washington, DC, including Toronto, Canada, and newly added destinations such as Pittsburgh, PA, and Raleigh/Durham, NC.
Accessing Megabus and other intercity bus lines is super easy with close proximity to public transit; the bus depot is located in the parking lot on H and 10th Streets, NW—just a short walk Metro Center. Traveling by intercity bus is a great option for low-cost, last-minute travel and allows you to avoid long security lines and parking or transportation costs to the airport. On board, you can eat, drink, talk on your cell phone (though we don’t recommend this if you want to avoid making enemies with your fellow...
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By goDCgo . on
2/8/2011
Calling all bike commuters! Responding to numerous requests from MetroRail riders who bike to Metro stations, WMATA is planning a pilot program to provide a secure bicycle parking facility at the College Park station—and they need your help! Details about the project are posted on Metro’s “PlanItMetro" blog. In a statement from WMATA, the project is going forward because “we want you to feel safe leaving your bike at a Metro station, and sometimes our existing racks and lockers aren’t sufficient…Also, bike parking is a very cost-effective way for us to give you access to the station, especially compared to the cost of auto parking.”
Metro envisions the proposed “bike garage” to be a secure, enclosed area on the ground floor of the parking garage with space for about 80 bikes and will have CCTV for security. Advanced registration will be required to access the facility, and spaces will be first-come, first-served.
So where do you come in? Metro is taking a poll to solicit opinions about how...
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By goDCgo . on
2/7/2011
Something stirs in the dirty, slushy streets
And my winter-weary eyes alight upon a streaking flash
Fiery, red, fierce—CaBi warms my soul and shines like a springtime star.
Oh, Capital Bikeshare –you live, you breath,
You guide me like a lamp in the darkest night.
Ultimate fighter, warrior and champion—you complete me.
Here at goDCgo, we don’t just blog—we also write astonishingly bad poetry. But really, there seemed to be no other way to adequately express the magnitude of how awesome it is that Capital Bikeshare remains open during the entire year, winter months included.
Of the three largest bikeshare systems nationwide, including Minneapolis and Denver, Capital Bikeshare is the only one to stay open year-round. To be fair, those cities have a teensy bit more severe winter weather than around these parts, but still…CaBi’s impressive. What’s more, DC residents actually use the bikes, a fact which may be attributed in part to the Winter Weather Warrior...
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By goDCgo . on
2/4/2011
DePaul University in Illinois recently released a study on intercity buses with interesting results: they were the fastest growing mode of intercity transportation, outpacing both air and rail transportation for the third straight year. The number of intercity buses grew by 6% in 2010, up from 5.1% in 2009. In particular, popular lines Boltbus and Megabus expanded their number of departures by 23.9% last year, and Megabus reported ridership growth of 48% in both 2009 and 2010. This is great news in the world of sustainable transportation, as passenger loads last year reduced fuel consumption by 11 million gallons—that’s the equivalent of removing 23,818 vehicles from the road!
Several factors contributed to this growth, including free Wi-Fi, which is offered on most of the buses, as well as quick boarding procedures (unlike the hassle of long security lines at the airport). But possibly the biggest reason for the rise in intercity bus ridership is the low cost, especially when compared to the expense...
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By goDCgo . on
2/2/2011
Teleworking has been gaining increasingly more attention recently as an efficient way of reducing traffic congestion and all of its negative impacts, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for employees and providing many benefits for employers. If you’re not already familiar with it, teleworking is a work schedule which allows employees to work from home or a satellite office one or more days a week. Everyone benefits—employers, employees and the environment. Here’s a list of some of the top reasons why you and your employer might consider making teleworking a part of your regular work schedule:
· Workforce productivity has been shown to increase.
· The employer realizes operational efficiencies; for example, in sustainability and real estate savings.
· The promise of teleworking as a transportation-related benefit helps employers to attract and retain top talent.
· The decrease in time spent commuting positively impacts the work/life...
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