Abandoning his car in his driveway, Jeffrey Nerdin dusted off his bike and joined the realm of eco-friendly commuters ““ biking 10 miles uphill from his house in Encino to his job on UCLA’s campus.
But his first endeavor in alternate commuting more than a year ago left him slightly disheartened. His muscles ached from the long ride, and he entered his office as an attorney in UCLA’s Office of Contract and Grant Administration completely exhausted, he said.
Yet, the following week Nerdin left his car in his driveway and tackled West Los Angeles’ hills once again, biking to work three times a week, until he sold his car entirely.
Similar to Nerdin, UCLA Transportation & Parking has been encouraging students, faculty and staff to transition from singular commutes to biking, carpooling or using public transit during Rideshare Week, which started Monday. The week is a California-wide initiative to cut back on traffic and carbon emissions, said Penny Menton, senior associate director of events and transportation at UCLA.
UCLA Transportation plans to set up booths, beginning today in Bruin Plaza, where people can pledge to bike or carpool one day this week and conscious commuters can compete for prizes at various locations around campus, Menton said.
By tabling, UCLA Transportation officials plan to answer questions for people interested in their commuting habits but are not sure what options are available, Menton said.
“We want to assess each person’s individual situation,” she added. “And find the (commuting) solution that is best for them.”
Third-year sociology student Raul Velasco commutes several times a week from his home in Bell Gardens. He plans to visit UCLA’s rideshare booths.
“I haven’t really thought about carpooling because it is hard to find people to match my schedule.” Velasco said. “But I am interested in seeing what my options are.”
Rideshare Week is held annually on the first week in October, and UCLA has participated in the program since its inception in the early 1990s, Menton said. During the week, commuters are encouraged to uses alternate forms of transportation dubbed “ridesharing,” like carpools, vanpools, taking the bus or train, walking or riding a bike to work or school for at least one day. Transportation encourages motorists to carpool, vanpool, use the bus or train, walk, or ride a bike to work or school for at least one day.
UCLA Transportation officials choose to participate in the event to help Transportation achieve its goal of having 50 percent of UCLA commuters travel to campus through ridesharing.
Menton said she hopes the events of Rideshare Week will successfully shift the amount of alternate commuters in their favor.
Nermin, who plans to participate in the week’s festivities, said he is looking forward to reaping the benefits of UCLA Transportation’s commuter programs that are available year-round but are specifically promoted this week, such as the Bruin Commuters Club. The online community, which was created by UCLA Transportation last year to provide parking discounts and other incentives for green commuters, is one way UCLA encourages eco-friendly commenting.
“I am definitely interested in the health and environmental benefits of biking,” Nermin said. “Anything that gets people biking and carpooling is worth the effort.”
In past years, the initiative has proved successful, according to a statement from Los Angeles Metro promoting the event. About 60 percent of commuters who try alternate forms of commuting during Rideshare Week continue to rideshare more often than they did before, the statement reads.
Ultimately, UCLA Transportation hopes that those who make the switch will find that green commuting has a positive impact on their own lives as well as California’s carbon footprint.
“As individuals (ridesharing) contributes to our health and productivity,” Menton said. “And as a community we have an obligation to make a difference in our effect on the environment.”