Special to ViewJacob Snow, general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, sits on his bicycle outside commission offices at 600 S. Grand Central Parkway in 2008. Snow pedals to work several days each month.
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With gas prices rising and people becoming more environmentally conscious, programs touting alternative modes of transportation are growing in popularity.
Programs such as the Regional Transportation Commission's Club Ride, a free program that works with individuals and employers to promote alternative commuting options, helps reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the valley. The program was founded several years ago in an effort to ease congestion on Nevada roads, according to Tracy Bower, director of government affairs for the transportation commission.
"Then, in the past few years with the push to go green, I think that has also been a factor," she said. "Environmental concern has always been a catalyst for the program, but I think even more so recently."
More than 209 employers are involved with the program, with 36 new participants having signed on since the beginning of June.
According to Bower, the number of individuals participating valleywide is 17,521.
Employers can take part in the program by alerting the transportation commission of their interest (the commission also does recruiting for the program) and naming a point person who helps to promote the program with provided posters and other resources.
"This person helps to coordinate people within their company, assisting in matching people with similar schedules who live near one another for carpooling purposes," Bower said.
According to Bower, participants carpool, walk or cycle to and from work anywhere from two times per week to two times per month, which, on an environmental level, reduces the amount of carbon monoxide added to the air.
Committed commuters saved approximately 6.71 tons of carbon monoxide from entering the atmosphere in June alone, according to Bower.
"You can make a real impact," she said. "By participating even one day a month, you are helping to relieve some of the congestion on our roadways and reducing pollution."
Bower said that with gas prices trending upward, the program makes sense not just on an environmental level, but also in the financial realm.
Downtown resident Eric Larson bikes to his job at the REI location near Summerlin, a 9-mile ride one way, twice per week.
"As the weather gets a bit warmer, I am not able to cycle as much, but I enjoy riding my bike, helping the environment, so I do it whenever I can," Larson said.
The business joined the ranks of Club Ride employer participants nearly a month ago, according to Larson, who serves as the Summerlin area's go-to guy for alternative commuting options.
"I think that a program like Club Ride is really great because sometimes people need to be reminded that they can make a difference," he said. "I'm happy to be able to participate. It makes sense for me. If I didn't have to drive my car, ever, I wouldn't."
Robert Gunnoe, a human resources supervisor with the Southern Nevada Health District, said he got on board with the program after meeting a fellow Henderson resident who worked a similar schedule in the downtown Las Vegas area.
"It makes sense to carpool when you can," he said. "It's better for the environment and easier on the pocketbook. With the price of gas on the rise, carpooling eases some of that burden."
Contact North Las Vegas and Downtown View reporter Amanda Llewellyn at allewellyn@viewnews.com or 380-4535.
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