Our third Civil Service Day of Action will take place on Tuesday November 28th 2006 encouraging “Sustainable Transport Actions”. As such all Civil Servants are encouraged to find alternative means of transportation to and from work.
- Take the bus
- Catch the ferry
- Pedal bike
- Run or walk to work
- Car-pool
- Or do a combination of the above
With close to 2000 civil servants, Government workers and public officers we can make a dramatic impact if we act together and demonstrate again that one simple lifestyle modification can impact the overall quality of life in Bermuda.
Bermuda’s reliance on the Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) as the preferred choice of transportation continues to contribute to transportation and environmental issues. Utilising alternate and sustainable transport options some of the time, if not all the time is a simple way for individuals to create a sustainable Bermuda while saving money, reducing congestion and conserving energy along the way.
Of course the choice to use alternatives will depend on your personal circumstances such as do you have children to drop to school at different locations, do you need your car for work, do you have to work late, do you have errands to run, etc. However, if and when there is the opportunity to take advantage of alternatives to SOV, we encourage you to do so because small changes can make a difference.
The purpose of this post is to provide assistance to Civil Servants who are considering alternative ways of commuting to/from work. It also gives Civil Servants the opportunity to highlight the current barriers to participating in STA and to propose solutions. In addition it is to give Civil Servants a forum to post information about organizing or participating in car pools, walking, running or cycling groups which they want to form or join.
Guidelines for Posting
If you are interested in ORGANIZING a carpool or walking/running/cycling group to or from work send a comment to this blog. Include in the comment your department, work email address and the parish you will be traveling from and your destination parish/location. If persons are interested in participating in your carpool or group activity they can contact you by email and arrange further details in private.
If you are interested in PARTICIPATING in a carpool or walking/running/cycling group to or from work send a comment to this blog. Include in the comment your department, work email address and the parish you wish to be traveling from and your destination parish/location. If persons are interested in having you participate in their carpool or group activity can contact you by email and arrange further details in private.
Links to Public Transportation Schedules/Contacts
The following are links to the bus and ferry services, as well as, the minibus services.
Minibus Services
- Midlands Mini Bus Service, Warwick ,Phone: 337-2230 or 238-3624
- Suburban Transit Mini Bus Service, Hamilton Parish, Phone: 293-1244 or Cell: 334-8986 or Cell: 335-1825 or Cell: 335-5299
- St. George's Mini Bus Service, St. George’s Phone: 297-8199 or 297-8492
Tips for participating in STA Running/Walking/Cycling
- Prepare ahead and bring extra work clothes to work the day before if you can
- Run, walk or cycle home if you can’t do it to work in the morning
- Park your car or motorcycle a distance away from work and walk/run the remainder
- Remember if walking or running wear a bright shirt so vehicles can see you and travel facing the traffic Ferry Commuting
- Consider walking to/from the ferry stop to avoid car parking overloads
- If you must drive to the ferry stop, consider carpooling to and from it
Car Pooling
- Although Bermuda is a relatively safe place, please keep in mind that there are some unscrupulous people no matter where you are. Don't travel with someone you don't trust.
- Decide where carpoolers will be picked up. Will it be door-to-door service or a convenient central spot? Will there be any unscheduled stops?
- Decide smoking/non-smoking policies and if eating/drinking will be allowed.
- Who will be your alternate drivers in cases of illness or emergency?
- How long will you wait for someone if they are late? 3-5 minutes is usually recommended.
- How many days a week will you share the ride to work? Car pools can operate every weekday, once or twice a week, or once or twice a month.
- If you decide to carpool regularly determine if drivers (and cars) will alternate.
- If there is to be one car used regularly decide if there will be contribution to a collective fuel fund.
Some Thoughts About Commenting
First of all a big thank you to all who have taken time to participate in this blog so far. As well as a means of making Government more aware of your views it has also created a dialogue between those who have commented. We may not all agree with each others views but it is heartening that a robust dialogue can take place.
Anonymity
Just to re-iterate, you do not have to give your name and e-mail address when commenting. There are fields for entering this information but they are not mandatory. You can always enter a pen-name.
Responding to Comments
Each comment has some information below it, The name, the time etc. If you are responding to some comment please be check who made it carefully. Unfortunately, the formating of the additional information means that it can look like it is associated with the comment below rather than the actual one above. We are investigating how to change the formatting. Remember, it is just like a letter. The signature follows below the body text of the letter.
Go On!
Finally, if you have enjoyed reading all the comments but haven't commented yourself please consider doing so. It may just be a simple 'I agree with the above' or a 'We need to consider this too'. Remember, the purpose of this blog is to encourage participation in our consultation. Go on, participate.
Posted on Thursday, September 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)