news Marin Supervisor Creates #RideWithDamon Challenge
For the month of April, Marin County District 1 Supervisor Damon Connolly has committed to using only a bicycle, public transit, and the occasional carpooling/ride-bumming to get around –that means ZERO single-occupancy-vehicle trips for the entire month.
The County invests a great deal in local transit, and encourage people to use these systems to take cars off the road for the sake of the environment and local traffic. Supervisor Connolly felt that as an elected representative charged with overseeing this system, first-hand knowledge was critical. “How are we expected to make decisions about services without understanding the service from the user perspective?” he asks.
He has extended an invitation to participate with him in this, creating The #RideWithDamon Challenge!
According to Supervisor Connolly’s statement:
“I want you to test out how the system could work for you, and hear your feedback. You can participate by:
-Dedicating one week/work-week to taking ZERO single-rider car trips, instead relying on public transit, walking, biking, or carpooling
-Identifying ONE route that you can use in your routine using the Marin Transit trip planner tool: http://www.marintransit.org/
-Providing some constructive feedback to Marin Transit service based on your experience as a rider through social media.
Simply take a photo of your experience – the route sign, the bus, the driver, your bike route – and post to Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #RideWithDamon.
We will be reviewing the entries all month for useful feedback, and will be conducting a drawing at the end of the month for a winner, who will be treated to lunch with guests at a special, secret location.
My staff is more than concerned about the status of my appointments and my calendar, (and if you see me at an off-site meeting I may be asking for a ride back), but I’m excited to get a close-up working knowledge of our public transit system and bike infrastructure this April. I hope to see some of you on the bus or the bike path!”
Last week, Supervisor Connolly pedaled the MCBC Bike Blender to make smoothies for Miller Creek Middle School students who used active transportation to get to school, as part of the Marin Safe Routes To Schools program.
(The top image shows Supervisor Connolly with members of the California Highway Patrol bike patrol – Sgt. Ross Ingels of Novato and Officer Luis Oliva who joined him on his commute to the Marin County Civic Center.)
