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Working together to celebrate National Transportation Week

Professionals involved in moving people and products celebrated National Transportation Week in America this week; the observance officially concludes Saturday.

The annual event focuses on attention on all forms of transportation in the U.S. and the issues affecting transportation now and into the future. Voted into law by president Kennedy in 1962, National Transportation Week has been honoring the men and women who tirelessly work to move goods and people throughout the United States.

In Idaho, the Community Transportation Association of Idaho (CTAI), through I-way (Idaho’s grassroots effort to connect Idaho through multiple modes of transportation) is working along side transportation providers, community leaders, and local citizens to improve mobility options in Idaho.

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, nearly 50,000 individuals work in transportation-related jobs. And, ITD reports more than 3,801,456 one-way passenger trips are made each year – demonstrating that public transportation is playing a key role in helping people get from point A to point B on a daily basis.

“National Transportation Week allows us to say ‘thank you’ to our transportation service providers, as well as come together to discuss the transportation and mobility-related challenges and opportunities we’re facing in our individual communities,” said Heather Wheeler, CTAI Executive Director.

Wheeler recommended the following activities to heighten awareness of multimodal opportunities:

1. Explore your local options for carpooling or begin a carpool program for your employees. Visit www.rideshareonline.com
2. Go green and organize a Walk or Bike to Work day at your company.
3. Petition your local government for more biking and walking paths in your community.
4. Reconsider your transportation options for your next trip or outing. Do you have to drive? Consider walking, biking, or taking a bus! If you don’t know how to find public transportation or the routes and times that they serve your area, visit http://511.idaho.gov.
5. Support May in Motion and National Bike to Work Day.

Keep an eye out for I-way.org, Idaho’s coordinated mobility system, to hit the Web launching June 1, 2010.