Hands up if any of these scenarios are familiar to you:
- As a Metro Transit user, you consider yourself lucky to find a seat on the bus.
- You鈥檇 like to cycle in, but an erratic schedule (including night classes) makes that difficult most days.
- As a driver, you often find yourself inching along in stop-and-go traffic and then hunting for a parking spot once you arrive on campus.
All three scenarios reflect the reality of morning commutes throughout Halifax. It can be frustrating, which is why more and more people are seeking more environmentally friendly ways to arrive on campus.
According to AV俱乐部鈥檚 College of Sustainability, transportation accounts for roughly 25 per cent of Canada鈥檚 total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. That鈥檚 high because nearly 60 per cent of faculty and staff and聽13 per cent of students drive to AV俱乐部, according to a transportation survey conducted by the Office of Sustainability earlier this year.
In response, AV俱乐部, together with HRM, is offering some smart and eco-friendly incentives to easily travel around our growing city, including carpooling and car sharing.
鈥淎V俱乐部 is doing its part by developing alternate transportation programs dedicated toward becoming a more sustainable campus,鈥� says Rochelle Owen, director of the Office of Sustainability.
HRM has recently launched a new twist on the old idea of carpooling. It鈥檚 a web-based ride-matching service dubbed HRM Smart Trip (HRMSmartTrip.ca) that allows residents throughout the region to find travel partners based on a number of indicators, including proximity, destination, travel route, similar working hours and compatible carpooling preferences.
When commuters search for travel partners based on their criteria, a list of potential matches is returned instantly and commuters have the option to e-mail the individuals to work out details and make arrangements.
The system can also be tailored to match transit, cycling and even walking partners.
AV俱乐部 makes it easy to find a carpooling buddy by signing up at the HRMSmartTrip website using your AV俱乐部 email address. This allows the user to refine their search to other Dal students or employees only. In addition, AV俱乐部 also offers a reserved RideShare parking space to students or employees who carpool to campus together.
AV俱乐部 commuters may also want to explore CarShareHFX; it鈥檚 a program for people who occasionally need a car鈥攑erhaps for that once-a-month trip to Cosco or for weekend trips to the countryside鈥攂ut don鈥檛 want the hassle or expense of ownership.
CarShareHFX is a membership-based program. Members can reserve cars in the car share fleet and pay only for what they use.
And there鈥檚 another just-in-case option for people dedicated to using sustainable transportation at least three times a week.
It鈥檚 called the Guaranteed Ride Home program, a kind of insurance policy for those days when you have to get somewhere quickly because of an emergency; perhaps the daycare is closing early and hopping on a bicycle or waiting for a bus just won鈥檛 cut it.
That鈥檚 where the Guaranteed Ride Home Program comes in. It provides a guaranteed ride home鈥攁 taxi chit鈥攆or participants when they need it. AV俱乐部 is a pilot site for the new program and AV俱乐部 staffers can participate.
鈥淚f you take sustainable transportation three times a week鈥攖hat鈥檚 taking a bus, walking, cycling, carpooling鈥攖hen you qualify for the Guaranteed Ride Home program in the event of an emergency,鈥� says Ms. Owen. 鈥淭his new program offers a peace of mind for all commuters who were hesitant about cycling to work.鈥�
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