• RideShare Week--October 17-21
• Better Business Challenge
• Telework Tax Credit Now Available
• Bike the Valley Receives Marketing Grant
• Park & Ride Lots

RideShare Week is October 17-21. It’s nice to share! Pledge to share the ride during RideShare Week and you are eligible to win great prizes!

To take the RideShare Pledge, visit www.rideshareinfo.org and pledge to share the ride at least one day between October 17th and 21st. Sharing the ride includes carpooling or any alternative to driving alone, like transit, biking, walking or even working from home. If you want to carpool but don’t know how to get started, RideShare can help. Just click “I want to pledge but need to find a carpool match!” on the pledge form. Then register at www.rideshareinfo.org for online carpool matching.

Prize list includes:

• Fuel for your carpool: $25 gas cards
• Fuel for you: Starbucks coffee
• Fuel for your wallet: Visa gift cards!
• RideShare travel packs to hold all your commute stuff

By taking the RideShare Pledge, you could start a good habit that will pay you back all year long. Typically, carpooling will save hundreds of dollars a year in commuting expenses, including gas, oil changes, tires, repairs, and parking fees. Additionally, fewer cars on the road mean cleaner air, less congestion and less noise. We all benefit from a healthier, more pleasant environment.

To kickoff RideShare Week, representatives from RideShare will be at the Zion Crossroads Park & Ride lot on Monday, October 17th from 5:00-6:00 PM and the Waynesboro Park & Ride lot on Tuesday, October 18th from 5:00-6:00 PM to thank commuters for sharing the ride. Take the RideShare Pledge today at www.rideshareinfo.org.

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RideShare is sponsoring the Better Business Challenge – a friendly competition among businesses in the Charlottesville area to incorporate sustainable practices in their day-to-day operations. At the heart of the challenge is a points-based scorecard, structured to help businesses with the following:

• Take stock of their baseline and performance in six key areas (“Ready”)
• Set goals for improvements and benchmarks for success (“Set”)
• Take credit for those efforts and achievements as they are implemented (“Go”)

Businesses will have the opportunity to advance their sustainability and score points in these sectors: Energy, Water, Transportation, Waste, Purchasing, and Leadership/Innovation. RideShare is available to assist any business that wants to score points in the “Transportation” sector. Some examples of sustainable transportation practices include establishing a fuel reduction goal, providing commute alternatives (such as carpool matching), implementing a telework policy, and participating in events such as RideShare Week and Clean Commute Day (also sponsored by RideShare).

Businesses that have already taken strides on the sustainability front or have unique perspectives to share will be invited to speak at Challenge trainings and networking events. All businesses who participate will be recognized and a review team of area leaders will award the top scorers in small, medium, and large businesses, as well as “biggest loser,” top innovator, runners up, and green champion. At the conclusion of the Challenge we will host an awards ceremony where the winners will be honored. For more information or to get involved, please email info@cvillebetterbiz.org.

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In 2011, Governor Bob McDonnell and the Virginia General Assembly approved new tax credit legislation aimed at encouraging private sector telework.  Telework, defined as a work arrangement where an employee is allowed to perform normal work duties at a location other than their central work location, is an effective congestion management strategy to remove cars from the highways and has been shown to improve employee productivity, retention, and satisfaction.  The new legislation provides for a tax credit of up to $1,200 per employee and up to $50,000 per organization for eligible telework expenses incurred that allow an employee to begin teleworking during taxable years 2012 and 2013.  Eligible expenses may also include up to $20,000 for conducting a telework assessment after January 1, 2012.  To apply for this credit for 2012, an organization must apply for the tax credit no later than October 31, 2011.  To learn more about the tax credit or download an application, go to Telework Virginia’s website at: http://www.teleworkva.org/go/for-managers/telework-tax-credit/ .

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With funds provided through the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) and matched with local funds from the area’s tourism and bicycle entities, the CSPDC has developed a marketing campaign designed to promote the Shenandoah Valley as a key bicycle tourism destination in the Commonwealth.   Funding for this project has been used to design, produce and distribute promotional materials, place print advertising, and update the Region’s only bicycle website:  www.bikethevalley.org.  Promotional rack cards have been distributed in four of Virginia’s Welcome Centers and in Canada through the VTC’s international promotional program.  The goal of the program is to increase the number of visitors to the Shenandoah Valley who are interested in this ever-growing and popular outdoor activity. 

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Commuters looking for a convenient place to meet and carpool can meet at one of the 26 Park & Ride lots serving central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Some of these lots are shared facilities, available to commuters through the public-spiritedness of the businesses or organizations that own the property. All of the Park & Ride lots provide safe, free parking for commuters Monday-Friday, and some lots are also available for use on the weekend.

There are approximately 300 Park & Ride lots located throughout Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is currently doing a study of these lots to find ways to better serve commuters. As part of the study, 75 Park & Ride lots throughout the Commonwealth will be selected to survey. Surveys announcement cards will be distributed during October and November. If you happen to receive one of the survey cards, we encourage you to complete the survey. Your feedback is very important.

Visit www.rideshareinfo.org for more information on Park & Ride lots in your area.

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RideShare recently merged with Commuter Information on Facebook to provide a single source of updates relevant to your commute in Central Virginia at www.facebook.com/rideshareinfo. If you live or work in the Charlottesville area, check out CAT’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CharlottesvilleAreaTransit.

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RideShare – a service of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and
Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission
PO Box 1505, Charlottesville, VA 22902
www.rideshareinfo.org.
(888) 974-5500