All summer long, SDOT has been encouraging Seattleites to join in the Walk Bike Ride Challenge, by switching at least two car trips per week to walking, biking, or using transit. And in addition to some sweet prizes, they’ve upped the ante by turning this contest into a neighborhood challenge, asking us:
Will Wallingford Win the Walk Bike Ride Challenge Neighborhood Competition?
Enter the Walk Bike Ride (WBR) Challenge, switch at least two car trips per week to walking, biking or transit, and you’ll earn chances to win these prizes:
- Electric bike from e-Moto
- Apple iPad
- Night stay at Pan Pacific Hotel in South Lake Union
- $250 Zipcar gift card
- $100 Nordstrom gift card
- $100 REI gift card
- $100 farmers’ market gift card (accepted at seven farmers’ markets, including U District, Phinney, Lake City, and Magnolia )
The WBR Challenge is part of the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Way to Go, Seattle! Program. It encourages people to walk, bike, ride transit and carpool more by offering incentives, tools and information and runs on a two month cycle. The current round is for July and August.
How about it, Wallingford, are you up for the challenge? You can participate by signing up here. By doing so, SDOT promises that “you’ll receive weekly emails with tips on walking, biking and riding and can track your individual progress and the program’s collective impact online. The more trips you report, the higher the chance you have of winning.”
The “WBR Challenge” is kinda unfair to those of us who already do not drive. If I owned a care and did a lot of driving, it would be easy to reduce my gasoline usage, reduce a couple trips, and be eligible for a prize. But I gave up my car a few years ago, so I am not allowed to participate in the “WBR Challenge”.
While I see merit in the idea, my concerns are that there is nothing else I can do to reduce my car use except take a bus for 45 minutes instead of 15.. not gonna do it.
Or take a cab .. uses gas.. to my part time on call jobs.
Getting weekly emails to tell me to use my car less is intrusive.
During school time I am a sub teacher- get there in a minute is the theme.. wait for a 2 hour bus ride? never!
ideas for car use reduction in the community:
get wallingford farmers market back on 45th.. reduces cars circling blocks for parking;
reward QFC for their cordial parking lot and remind people to use the lot and do multiple shopping needs at once;
provide FREE bus passes for Wallingford residents to go to UW area;
reduce bus runs from 4 or 5 per hour to 2 or 3 per hour – major city gas reduction