Table of Contents

1. Seamless Traveler Information Planned for Tri-State Region.
2. Connecticut Commuters rewarded with the "Ride Stuff."
3. Orange County has launched the Main Line Trolley to connect the twons along the Route 17 Corridor
4. ConnDOT & MetroPool will keep the public informed on Bridgeport and Stamford Construction Projects.
5. Elizabeth Arden's Stamford commute program has nearly 60 percent of the employees participating
6. A vision for the future of New York state's transportation system has been released
7. A team has been formed to help boost ridership on the Greenwich Shuttle.

Commuter Connections is published quarterly by MetroPool, Inc. with the support of federal and state funding from the Connecticut and New York Departments of Transportation. The views expressed in Commuter Connections are not necessarily those of MetroPool, Inc's funders, Board Members, nor supporting agencies or organizations.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a $10.3 million grant to the tri-state metropolitan New York City region for the development of systems that will allow "one stop shopping " for real-time information about highways, trains, buses and other transportation modes throughout the region with a single contact.

Real-time travel information, which can be invaluable in trip planning, exists, but it is not easy to obtain efficiently, especially for a trip that crosses boundaries between agencies that have the information.

"There are ways to get it today," says William W. Stoeckert, Manager of Highway Operations with the Connecticut DOT and in charge of the state’s Incident Management System covering major highways in the state’s Southwest Corridor. "But not all in one place."

This is because there is no regional clearinghouse to collect information, and then make it readily accessible region-wide.

The USDOT grant aims to fill that gap. The grant is one of four awarded to metropolitan areas across the country to develop and deploy model Advanced Traveler Information Systems.

Transcom, a New Jersey-based consortium of 14 transportation and public safety agencies, will be the lead agency for administering the grant. Lockheed Martin Federal Systems (originally Loral Federal Systems of Owego, N.Y.) will be the lead company in the public-private partnership.

In the tri-state region, the system’s centerpiece will be what USDOT is calling a "virtual transportation management center." Through the center, regional information on highway traffic conditions, bus and rail schedules and current operating conditions, and other transportation modes will be available by calling a single telephone number. The information also will be available on the Internet, and at kiosks to be deployed at key public places across the metropolitan area.

In addition to making regional information available to the public, the center also is planning to offer, for a fee, personalized call-in and call-out reports and paging systems tailored to individual trips. The system is expected ultimately to become self-supporting.

The Connecticut, New York and New Jersey Departments of Transportation are among the several government agencies participating in the project. These agencies’ existing traffic and incident management systems will be incorporated into the model regional system. These existing systems’ $27.6 million value will serve as the states’ matching contributions to the USDOT grant.

Smart Routes, which operates Connecticut’s Highway Operations Center under a contract with the department, is one of several private partners in the initiative.

Stoeckert indicated the system is not expected to replace existing programs that provide traveler information, such as

MetroPool’s Connecticut DOT-supported construction communications programs that focus on providing free information about road work and other transportation infrastructure construction to the public.

In addition to New York/Connecticut/New Jersey, Advanced Traveler Information System Model Deployment Initiative grants were awarded to Phoenix ($7.5 million); San Antonio ($7.1 million); and Seattle ($13.7 million). USDOT received 23 grant applications for the program. The program is part of a national effort aimed at cutting the daily travel time of people living in congested metropolitan areas by 15 percent over the next 10 years.

"THE RIDE STUFF"

Do Fairfield and New Haven County Commuters have "The Ride Stuff?" They can get it, and with it obtain discounts from 115 different area merchants, just by using alternative transportation a minimum of once a week. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is sponsoring "The Ride Stuff," a commuter rewards program created to encourage the use of alternative transportation in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Beginning in January, the pilot program will be available to individuals who live or work in Fairfield or New Haven counties who use alternative transportation such as carpooling, vanpooling, taking the bus or train, biking, walking, or telecommuting. Commuters must use alternative transportation at least one day a week, and have been doing so for a minimum of three months.

As a member of "The Ride Stuff," commuters will have the opportunity to obtain discounts from a wide variety of merchants with over 3500 locationsthroughout the state and nationwide including: car care centers, entertainment venues, recreational facilities, health clubs, restaurants, hotels, photo stores, and other services. Members will receive personalized membership cards as well as the merchant catalog listing locations where discounts can be obtained. Discounts will be provided each time a member presents "The Ride Stuff" membership card at a participating merchant location.

For applications and promotional materials to promote the program, call MetroPool at (203) 324-6700.

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Three employers and three individuals were honored as the 1996 Governor’s Circle Transportation Award
winners in southwestern Connecticut. The awards were given at a ceremony at ConnDOT Headquarters in Newington Connecticut. Started in 1993, the awards are presented annually to recognize individual and corporate contributions to alternative transportation which help to improve Connecticut’s air quality and reduce congestion on Connecticut’s highways.

This year’s corporate recipients are Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Hyperion Software Corporation in Stamford and Ethan Allen, Inc. in Danbury.

Sikorsky Aircraft has an active rideshare program with over 500 employees participating in its commuter club. It was the lead employer in establishing a shuttle operated by the Greater Bridgeport Transit District from the Stratford train station to its main plant, and employees are the primary users of a fixed route bus operated by the Valley Transit District. Sikorsky encourages the use of commuteoptions by offering subsidies through the TransitChek system. Patricia Denson and Karen Cowan, (Sikorsky’s current and former employee transportation coordinators), accepted the award for the company.

Hyperion Software Corporation has 18 percent of employees participating in the commute program which is managed by Joanne Derwallis. Hyperion provides a shuttle from the Stamford train station to the site and gives TransitChek vouchers to employees who use transit.

Twenty percent of Ethan Allen, Inc.'s 200 Danbury employees carpool to work. Upper management actively supports the carpool program and conducts a monthly raffle for a $50 gift certificate for the program participants.

The ETC at Ethan Allen is Eileen Kent.

This year’s individual recipients are Nancy Crelan of Waterbury, James Minor of Ridgefield, and Lou Mangione of Danbury.

Crelan has been a rider on the MTA/Metro-North Waterbury Rail Line since 1979. She works to bring awareness of the availability of rail service to the Naugatuck Valley and lobbies for rail improvements. Crelan has been commuting to People’s Bank in Bridgeport for the last ten years and estimates her savings as a result of taking the train to be over 10,000 miles a year on her car, $200 per year on her insurance and $18 weekly on gas.

Minor, an attorney in Stamford, combines fitness and commuting habits. He rides his bike from Ridgefield to work on Mondays and rides it back home on Fridays. During the week, he jogs to one of four train stations ranging from two to ten miles in his area, depending on how many miles he wants to run that day. He then hops on the Danbury branch of Metro-North to Stamford. On days he bikes to work, he travels 20 miles one way.

Mangione has been vanpooling for 13 years. He began as a passenger when he went to work for Perkin-Elmer and has moved up the ranks from a backup driver to the primary driver of his current vanpool. When Perkin-Elmer became adivision of Hughes Danbury Optical there was no longer a vanpool program, but Mangione kept the group together through a van leasing program.

Corporate winners in the rest of the state include: Computer Sciences Corporation, Meriden; Connecticut Department of Public Works, Hartford; The Hartford Courant, Hartford; and New Haven Savings Bank, New Haven.

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Orange County travelers can now board the Main Line Trolley and conveniently ride between major towns, shopping centers, and other sites in the County.

The name, Main Line Trolley, is significant in that it is historically connected to the old Main Line train that used to run parallel to Route 17. The Trolley will run along the Route 17 corridor with stops at the Harriman train station, Woodbury Common, the Galleria at Crystal Run, Arden Hill Hospital, and Museum Village. Other stops will include the center of the towns of Harriman, Monroe, Chester, Goshen, and Middletown.

"I am confident that the Main Line Trolley is the first step toward a County-wide transportation system," said County Executive Joseph Rampe. "We have chosen the area with the greatest potential for success to headline the service. It is the County’s goal to make the bus available to meet many of the community’s transportation needs."

"We have targeted the commuter, the shopper, the person who needs medical treatment, and tourists. We are putting public transportation directly into the heart of towns and villages located along the route. The Trolley will not only benefit the residents of Orange County as a new form of public transportation, it willalso help the environment by cutting down on the amount of cars on the road and improving our air quality," said Mr. Rampe.

This service is operated by ShortLine under contract with the New York State Department of Transportation. The contract extends for one year after start-up. Support for this service is provided through federal transportation funds, fare box receipts, and operating assistance from the state.

For more information about the Main Line Trolley, call Steven Gross, Staff Assistant to the County Executive at: (914) 291-2704.

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The Guaranteed Ride Home Program is growing in popularity with employers in both Southwestern Connecticut and the Hudson Valley Region of New York State, according to a recent survey conducted by MetroPool.

Currently, 51 companies in the two areas are offering their employees this program, which provides those who use mass transit or pool together to work a worry-free, cost-free ride home in case of an emergency.

An analysis of employer participation in the Guaranteed Ride Home Program (GRHP), found a nearly 13 percent increase in the number of participating companies for the period covering July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996. The total number of people employed by these companies is 7,478 and, in the above time frame, 93 people required transportation homeeither because of a sudden emergency or unscheduled overtime at work.

The GRHP was conceived by MetroPool to help employers address the fear of ridesharing employees that they will be stranded in the event of a home emergency.

"Of the 82 percent of employees who responded to our company survey about riding together to work, getting home to meet an emergency was the number one concern," said John Leavy, facility environmental engineer for International Paper in Tuxedo, New York. The company has been in the GRHP since August, 1995, offering employees emergency rides home by way of a local limousine service. Mr. Leavy is a carpooler himself, whose daily trip to work is 43 miles each way.

MetroPool’s survey showed that on average $135 was spent by each participating company during the one year period. The breakdown of cost per eligible employee was $.37 in Connecticut and $.11 in New York State, with an average cost per trip of $39.15. There were 28 companies who reported no activity, while a Norwalk., CT company spent over $1,813.47 for employees who needed rides home due to unscheduled overtime.

Many participating employers cite MetroPool’s role as administrator as an attractive feature of the program. "It lets us have a more professional program," said Mr. Leavy in discussing MetroPool’s involvement. "The administration is free and makes it easier for us because we can write one purchase order to cover several emergency rides instead of one at a time," he added. He also reported that International Paper’s pool of money that went into the program has lasted more than a year; only three people have used the emergency service in that time.

Elizabeth Arden Company, at its Stamford based Operations Center, finds that most of its employees who use the GRHP do so for emergencies that arise at home, rather than for overtime.

"Most of our participating employees are train riders," said Gene Smith, human resources manager for Connecticut at Elizabeth Arden. "We’ve had a very successful program since 1994 with 45employees registered in the program, which represents 22 percent of our total employees," he explained. Of this number, 27 people have required emergency rides home. The company has spent a total of $920 since the program started almost three years ago, according to Mr. Smith, who added that, "people who use the program have really liked it and we intend to continue it."

The Guaranteed Ride Home Program continues to be a win/win situation for everyone. The employee gets peace of mind and the employer provides an incentive to encourage ridesharing and a meaningful benefit to its qualified employees-while operating a program with little cost or administrative burden to the company.

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Bridgeport’s piece of the Interstate Highway System and Stamford’s busy downtown train station will spend the final years of the 20th century undergoing major construction initiatives being undertaken by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

In Bridgeport, that means rebuilding nearly every inch of I-95 from one end of the city to the other, both roadway and supporting structures -- and there are nearly two dozen such structures supporting the three-mile stretch of highway.

This $400 million program, slated to be completed after the turn of the century, also will improve and modernize the highway itself, adding full left and rightshoulders and, in some locations, additional right-hand "operational lanes" that allow motorists using I-95 for local trips to do so without interacting with through traffic, a major contributor to highway congestion.

In Stamford, two new center platforms will be built to improve operations and increase capacity at the Stewart B. McKinney Transportation Center. The new platforms will facilitate cross-platform transfers between main-line and branch-line trains, an especially important feature for the New Haven Line’s fast-growing intrastate commuter market served at the station by MTA Metro-North Railroad, the CTTransit city bus system, and commuter shuttles.

Other features of the six-year, $100 million railroad station program include widening Washington Boulevard where it passes under the train just west of the station; modernizing sections of the overhead catenary system that delivers electricity to trains; making the station fully accessible to people with disabilities; and enhancing the Stamford Rail Trail, a network of pedestrian ways between the station and the downtown business district.

Both programs have been carefully planned to minimize their impact on the public, and are in their early phases.

MetroPool is developing informational materials on the two construction programs. Materials will be targeted to the general public and also to area employers, businesses and business groups, commuters and other travelers, residents and others who might be impacted by each project.

Informational videos outlining the two projects will be available by early 1997. Copies of the videos will be available from MetroPool. Copies also will be provided to area city and town halls, libraries and business groups. And watch for excerpts on area television stations.

A variety of printed information also is planned. An overview brochure is in development, and periodic newsletters will be published to provide progress reports on the projects as they proceed.

Special materials will be developed to inform the public when the projects have specific public impacts. For example, when an I-95 ramp in Bridgeport is closed temporarily to make room for construction, news releases and advertisements in the media will be used to notify the general public. In addition, information will be sent directly to nearby major employment centers, residents, and other interested parties.

Speakers are available to bring this information to interested groups and businesses. Information also will be posted on MetroPool’s web site, as well as in such public places as the Stamford train station and I-95 service areas.

MetroPool’s ridesharing professionals are available to work with commuters and employers to develop customized commuting plans to best meet their needs as these construction projects proceed.

To arrange to receive information on either project, or to arrange for a meeting for your group or business, call David Curran, MetroPool’s construction communications manager, at (203) 324-6700, ext. 121.

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Connecticut and New York commuters can now travel the information superhighway for information on commute options by visiting MetroPool’s new web site at http://www.metropool.com.

The interactive site offers a range of entertaining and informative features, including:

¨ a list of free commute services available to commuters and employers

¨ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about ridesharing

¨ an on-line calculation of the monthly cost of your commute, plus how much you can save by taking a carpool, vanpool, bus or train instead of driving alone to work

¨ a map featuring southwestern Connecticut Park and Ride lots

¨ full text of current and back issues of MetroPool’s newsletters, featuring local, regional, and national transportation news and information

¨ a discussion forum for commuters and Employee Transportation Coordinators

¨ an on-line ridematching form, allowing commuters to submit an application to be placed in MetroPool’s regional database of commuters to receive (via e-mail, fax, or mail) a matchlist of suitable carpool and vanpool partners

¨ links to The Commuters’ Register On-line (an electronic version of the commuter newspaper, featuring "classified ad"-type listings for carpool and vanpool partners), and other ridesharing and transportation-related sites (including telecommuting sites)

¨ a listing of ongoing construction projects in southwestern Connecticut

Future plans for the site include the addition of New York Park and Ride lots, enhanced Connecticut highway construction project information, a "What’s New?" section with news of transportation improvements and new commute services, and facts and figures about commuting in Connecticut and New York.

The site was developed by MetroPool with the assistance of Ecotek, a web page design company.

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For one of the largest prestigecosmetics companies in the world, commuter services are a part of the corporate culture. Elizabeth Arden sells world famous fragrances, color, skin treatments, and a full line of beauty products to department stores.

The company’s success shows in its employees’ support of the commuter program at its Stamford operations center. Of Elizabeth Arden’s 210 Stamford-basedemployees, nearly 60 percent use at least one of the company’s commuter services. From telecommuting and shuttle services to flextime and guaranteed ride home, participation is robust.

"We care about the employees and we’re flexible enough to meet their needs, too," said human resources manager Gene Smith, who has also served as the employee transportation coordinator since the program’s inception in 1994. "It’s a big expense to the company, but we hear about the success of the programs every day from the people who use them."

Smith is clearly one of the reasons for the success of the company’s commuter programs. Having been with Elizabeth Arden and its parent company, Unilever, for 21 years, he knows the employees. He also knows how to be savvy about cultivating ongoing management support in order to keep resources flowing steadily into the program.

"You have to be sure you can keep the programs you put in place, and maintain continued financial support," said Smith. "It’s important to maintain an approved budget, because you don’t want to pull funding later after starting a program. For us, these services have been very easy to put in place and maintain."

Telecommuting is one of the most popular programs for the employees. As of this month, 42 employees telecommute one to two days a week from home. Elizabeth Arden provides computers with modems for the participants’ homes. Eligibility is determined by department and job. The basic requirement is that the job must be able to be done at home on a computer. Participants have to be employed at the company for at least six months and be in good standing.

Introduction of the telecommuting option was "a little rough at first," said Smith. He now meets with the interested employee and his/her manager to see if it will work. Smith reports a measurable increase in productivity, however, and adds that, "because the employees love it they make sure it works." That goes for many managers who telecommute, as well.

Carpooling, on the other hand, just hasn’t taken off. Employees who commit tocarpooling at least two days a week get a paid holiday on their birthday. But few have taken the company up on its offer. Mass transit, however, is popular with employees.

That could have a lot to do with the company’s support for transit riders. Elizabeth Arden subsidizes TransitChek vouchers for anyone who takes the train three to five days a week. Five-day riders get $45/month, while three and four-day riders get $30/month. "We have 60 people doing that." Smith said. Employees who live locally can get free bus tokens for a whole month if they ride at least three times a week. "It’s all tax free, too," Smith pointed out.

Moreover, the company gets employees to the train station on a free shuttle during the morning and afternoon rush hours, circulating between the station and the worksite as many times as necessary. The 21-person mini-bus also runs to downtown Stamford during lunchtime to help employees do their shopping and errands. "So they don’t need their car at all," noted Smith.

Employees riding mass transit at least three times a week need not fear being stranded without a car in a family emergency, because they are eligible for a guaranteed ride home anywhere in the tri-state area. The taxi ride home is paid for by the company under MetroPool's Guaranteed Ride Home Program. "Employees have needed this service on several occasions," said Smith. Employees have to go through Human Resources to get the trip approved.

Elizabeth Arden also instituted a year-round flextime program. Employees can arrive at 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, or 9:00 in the morning Monday through Thursday, and leave at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, or 5:30 in the afternoon those days. On Fridays they have the same starting times, but everyone ends the day at 1:30 pm. That policy "gets employees (who drive) off the road at peak hours and helps those who take transit catch their trains," said Smith.

A commuter information center rounds out the company’s services. It provides employees with the latest transit schedules and other material provided by MetroPool.

Elizabeth Arden plans no changes in the program. "It will continue indefinitely," said Smith.

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New York State’s Transportation Plan, "The Next Generation: Transportation Choices for the 21st Century" was released this fall, presenting a vision for the state’s future transportation system and steps that can be taken to achieve that vision.

The New York State Department of Transportation gained input from local transportation decision makers as well as the public during development of the plan, holding 27 public forums across the state to identify ideas and issues, and 24 hearings on the actual draft plan.

NYSDOT Commissioner John B. Daly, in a letter to the Governor introducing the plan, noted that "the plan stresses our commitment to the State’s extensive transportation infrastructure, emphasizes solutions to mobility reliability and cost effectiveness, and urges actions contributing to the State’s prosperity and well-being." Daly also notes that the plan "advocates increased participation in transportation decision making by regional and local officials...and encourages public/private partnerships to meet the travel needs of the next generation."

The plan includes a comprehensive overview of transportation and travel in the state, including changes in life style and employment that will continue to impact the transportation needs of state residents. The plan notes that the commute to work now represents about 25 percent of all daily travel; the majority of these trips are made by commuters drivingalone. The shift of homes and jobs to the suburbs, and the growing impact of technology are two changes in residents’ life styles that will effect the transportation system in the future. The plan also notes that women now make more trips than men by all modes (bus, car, walk, etc.) and are more likely to link together trips for work, shopping, and child care in one outing (called trip chaining)--fully 53 percent of all work trips include some other stop.

The plan identifies major goals under the areas of transportation infrastructure, mobility, and resources and responsibilities (financing). Infrastructure goals address such issues as maintaining, rebuilding, and modernizing the transportation infrastructure, safety, environment, technology, and improved communication among transportation stakeholders.

Under mobility, the vision outlined in the state plan is to "move more people and goods per dollar spent on the state’s transportation system, safely and with regard to the environment through better system management, increased vehicle occupancy, increased public/private partnerships, and selective system improvements and expansions." This

"The plan stresses our commitment to the State’s transportation infrastructure, and urges actions contributing to the State’s prosperity and well-being." - John B. Daly

section is further divided into intercity (including both passenger and freight movement between cities, states and other countries), metropolitan (with a primary focus on commuter travel), and rural. The plan notes that 80 percent of all highway travel, and 97 percent of all public transit travel, in New York state occur in the metropolitan areas.

The plan defines a number of goals and action steps to improve mobility for travelers in the metropolitan area, with a primary focus on encouraging and enabling greater use of alternatives to driving alone. A top priority identified in the plan is to carry out programs to cut the estimated increase in drive-alone commute trips in half -- with an increase in transit commute ridership of 20 percent; 50 percent increase in carpooling, and 15 percent increase in bicycling and walkingto work. Much of this effort will be focused on New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island, where, the plan notes, highway congestion is most severe and options to reduce congestion through highway expansion are most limited.

Goals identified to improve metropolitan mobility, and a sampling of action steps to carry out these goals, include:

Foster interagency cooperative efforts to provide seamless transportation. This would be accomplished through cooperative efforts among agencies to provide a "seamless" system of transfers between public transit systems, a single electronic identification tag for toll collection, and incident management and other technology-based improvements to the transportation system.

Increase transit ridership during commute hours by 20 percent statewide. This goal would be reached by improving the convenience, customer service, and safety of existing transit; expanding bus service where it is cost effective (including commuter train station shuttles, suburb to suburb service, and privately operated customer-oriented "jitney" services); and expanding of passenger ferry operations in New York City and surrounding suburban counties.

Make the existing highway network operate more efficiently. A number of steps are identified to achieve this goal, including establishment of a "priority treatment network" of highways in the New York City, Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley areas (providing bus and carpool lanes, off-peak truck lanes, electronic toll collection, improved motorists information and congestion detection, etc.); establishment of "Intelligent Transportation Systems" ; and intersection and operational improvements.

Increase commuting by carpool and vanpool. With a special focus on heavily congested suburban areas such as Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley, the plan identifies the following action steps to increase carpooling and vanpooling: creation of carpool/transit lanes on congested highways, express ramps and at toll plazas; expansion of the park and ride lot network for carpools, vanpools, and transit riders; aggressive ridesharing programs with a range of services foremployers and commuters; and creation of preferential parking areas for carpoolers at commuter rail stations, municipal parking areas, and other key destination sites.

Increase bicycling and walking. A number of action steps are outlined to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel in the metropolitan area, including identification of a pedestrian/bicycle network to provide improved access to key business, commercial and recreational activities; and providing improved access to train stations, bus stops and park and ride lots (through safe, secure bicycle parking at park and ride lots, commuter rail stations and ferry terminals, and by allowing bicycles on buses and subways).

Use other demand management programs to encourage solo drivers to choose alternative travel measures where feasible. This would be accomplished through examining of local land use and zoning policies to promote more efficient transportation services; providing technical assistance and support to employers in carrying out commute programs at their worksite; developing of parking management policies; and exploring flexible pricing (perhaps including preferential pricing strategies for transit and carpoolers).

Responsibility for addressing each of the action steps is assigned to federal agencies, NYSDOT, state and local agencies/authorities and Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and others who have a role in the region’s transportation system. The 1996 plan updates the last statewide plan issued in 1987 and lays out the vision that will shape the state’s transportation priorities and activities through the next decade. The state’s plan incorporates the long range transportation plans of the state’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations, including New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s "Critical Issues Critical Choices" (for copies, call 212-938-3390); Newburgh-Orange County Transportation Council’s "2020 Vision-Transportation Plan for Orange County (914-294-2410); and Poughkeepsie-Dutchess County Transportation Council’s Transportation Plan (914-486-3600). For a copy of the state’s transportation plan, contact NYSDOT’s State Government Relations and Policy office in Albany at 518-457-6324.

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Local, regional and state planners are putting their heads together to improve a shuttle system in Greenwich that is geared not only to commuters, but to local residents as well as shoppers coming into the town.

The Greenwich Commuter Connection is one of many transportation projects in Southwestern Connecticut considered vital to the mobility of the region. In order to encourage more ridership on this shuttle which meets commuter trains coming into Greenwich, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) recently allocated additional funding to extend the service until June 1997. The shuttle was previously funded through federal subsidies which expired last July.

"We see the Greenwich Commuter Connection as a true intermodal connection for rail commuters who need access to employer sites in Greenwich beyond the train station," said Michael Sanders, Administrator of the Office of Transit and Ridesharing for ConnDOT. Sanders also explained that the State is addressing rail parking improvements at many Metro-North stations in order to make train travel easier and more attractive to commuters.

Lou Schulman, Administrator of the Norwalk Transit District, announced in November that Transportation of Greenwich (TAG) would take over as provider of the shuttle service. "We are still responsible for the operation of the shuttle but we have changed providers to realize a savings of almost 40 percent," said Schulman. "Some buses will look the same to start, but we expect to have new equipment later on," Schulman explained.

He also said that the shuttle buses, which began operating on December 23, will runon alternative fuels rather than traditional gasoline.

Local officials in Greenwich laud TAG as the new service provider. "The Town of Greenwich is excited about the whole transportation issue of moving people more easily," said Lolly Prince, Second Selectman of the town of Greenwich. "With TAG, there will be more local control and provision to serve other groups in Greenwich, such as the elderly and disabled as well as shoppers coming into town," she added. Ms. Prince pointed out that the town will be appointing a task force to study overall transportation needs and will interface with the state legislative task force which is currently being spearheaded by State Senator William Nickerson of Greenwich.

Dee Angell, President of MetroPool, Inc., recently offered to head up a marketing effort for the new Greenwich shuttle. MetroPool has been working closely with Greenwich employers to encourage their employees to travel to work by train as well as to use the shuttle connection to attract new employees to their work sites.

"Transportation decisions made at the local level often impact the region as a whole," said Angell. She added that a train/shuttle connection offers benefits of reducing congestion and relieving parking, thus enhancing economic development and easing the commute for those traveling to Greenwich from other parts of the state.

TransitCenter, which operates the TransitChek program, is actively working with MetroPool to market the new Greenwich Commuter Connection to Greenwich employers. The TransitChek program allows employers to offset employee commuting costs with tax-free transit vouchers.

The current individual fare of the shuttle is $1.00 per ride. However, commuters who do not have the option of TransitChek may purchase a Uniticket, which is a reduced fare rate that combines monthly round trip local bus and rail fare. This reduces the price of the shuttle to $22.00 a month. The Greenwich Commuter Connection operates Monday through Friday during peak commuting hours, covering two routes in Greenwich: Central and West.

is published quarterly by MetroPool, Inc., with the support of federal and state funding from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Call Peggy Hetherington at (203) 324-6700, ext. 128 or e-mail at: [email protected]

Editor: Peggy Hetherington Assistant Editor/Production: Brian Bisceglia

Writers: Bea Friedman, Peggy Hetherington, Paula Sakofs, Mark Wright

MetroPool, Inc. is a private, nonprofit commuter transportation management company that serves Southwestern Connecticut and New York's Hudson Valley Region.

One Landmark Square Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 324-6700 Telephone (203) 348-9252 Fax

The views expressed in Commuter Connections are not necessarily those of MetroPool, Inc.'s funders, Board members, nor supporting agencies or organizations. James Seuch, human resources representative for Greenwich Hospital, noted recently that although only a small number of employees are currently utilizing the shuttle, "it serves a basic transportation need for our location and we find that it operates very efficiently."

State and regional transportation planners, along with local officials and employers have formed an effective partnership. Together, they are working to convince commuters in southwestern Connecticut that there are viable alternatives to driving their cars to work. As Cheryl Dunson, Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Greenwich pointed out, "though alternative transportation is often viewed as not easy, driving your own car is not easy either."

F rom Here To There. . . . the 1997 Orange County Transportation Guide, featuring information on all transportation services in thecounty--from bus routes and vanpooling to airports and Dial-a-Ride services-- is now available. The 24 page Guide, produced by the Times Herald Record for the New York State Department of Transportation and the Orange County Department of Planning, was distributed to newspaper subscribers in early January and is also available through transit providers, Orange County Department of Planning, and MetroPool. MetroPool coordinated the project for the New York State Department of Transportation.

The Guide features easy-to-read maps of local transit routes in Middletown, Newburgh, Port Jervis, and Monroe/Kiryas Joel. A county map displays intercity transit services. Phone numbers and schedule information are also provided, along with information on disabled rider services, park and ride lots, service to out-of-county destinations, Dial-a-Bus service, MTA/Metro-North, TransitChek, and MetroPool. The Main Line Trolley, Orange County's newest transit service, is also featured.

For copies of the Guide, contact MetroPool at (203) 324-6700 or Orange County Planning at (914) 291-2318.