Don’t drive alone … Green Commute!

According to a 2004 City of Winnipeg study, 73% of respondents regularly drove their car to work. Yet many green commuting options are available to most people who travel to and from work. Walking, cycling, riding public transit and carpooling are all “green” ways of commuting.

The Green Commute guide contains tools and advice that help you promote transportation alternatives in your workplace. The resources are designed to be adaptable. You may prefer to emphasize certain measures over others, or to phase-in measures over a period of time. For instance, your workplaces may need to set the goals for green commuting before recruiting the key players; or the culture of your workplace may call for widespread involvement of all departmental managers from the outset.

If you’re looking for help along your Green Commute journey, Resource Conservation Manitoba offers a free Green Commute consultation service as part of our public outreach programming. Thanks to the support of several community, government and corporate organizations, RCM has promoted workplace green commuting since 1999.

Good luck in your journey to make your workplace a place where all commuting options are treated equally!

Order a bike rack for your downtown business! The Downtown BIZ wants to install bike racks downtown to make frequenting buildings and amenities easier for visitors, workers and residents.

The Downtown BIZ will subsidize 50 per cent of the cost of a bike rack (this also applies to multiple orders) The Downtown BIZ will handle the installation. Click here for an order form.

Walking and Cycling …

Facilitate more active transportation by providing facilities such as showers and lockers, or subsidize a pass to a fitness centre located nearby where employees can take advantage of these amenities.

Cyclists need a safe, secure place to store their bicycles. Install a bike cage on site. Build team spirit within your workplace by creating walking / cycling clubs; or match up experts with rookies, and make the commute to work part of a workplace wellness program.

Cycling education is an important area for action in a Green Commuting Plan. Basic education about safe routes and a provision of a Cyclist’s Map of Winnipeg can be enough to encourage avid cyclists to ride to work. For novice riders, sponsor a CAN-BIKE workshop in your workplace to help them acquire skills necessary to ride safely.

The Commuter Cyclist - Urban Cycling Tips (Manitoba Cycling Association): www.cycling.mb.ca/cycling_tips.htm

Winnipeg Trail Maps (Winnipeg Trails Association): www.mrta.mb.ca/Trails/wta/trails.html

City of Winnipeg’s Active Transportation Study (June 2005): www.winnipeg.ca/services/Transportation