Death To Cars

An article of interest from the TheStar.com

A cleaner way to work: City launches clean commute plan; Citing 'overwhelming' employer response so far, Miller announces latest 'Smart Commute' group
By: Tess Kalinowski
Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The TTC might be the better way, but then again so could a bike, a brisk walk or a lift from a neighbour. That will be the message of the Toronto area's newest "Smart Commute" association, designed to coax city commuters out of their cars by enlisting the support of employers and property managers. "Smart Commute Toronto-Central will provide tools and resources to help commuters make the shift away from the car to more sustainable modes of travel like carpooling, transit, walking, cycling and telework," said Mayor David Miller at the City Hall launch last week. Smart Commute associations help companies set up ride-matching programs, shuttles, emergency rides, telecommuting, compressed work weeks and flex hours. They also encourage employers to offer incentives such as transit pass discounts and preferred parking for those who choose to carpool. The new group is the latest "transportation demand management association" to spring up around the GTA as municipalities try to cut congestion and greenhouse-gas emissions. Miller called employer response to the newest Smart Commute association "overwhelming," with 30 companies and organizations already expressing interest in greening the commutes of their workers. About 500 employees of Bay St. firm Cisco Systems have already completed a Smart Commute survey, said company spokesperson Cheryl Saito. Once the results are analyzed, Cisco will work with Smart Commute to determine how more staff can get to work by means other than driving alone in a car. More than a half-dozen Regional Smart Commute groups now operating say they have eliminated a total of 1.3 million single-occupant car trips in the past four years.