Name: Raleigh Area- Toward Zero Emissions
Start: 2021-10-01T00:00:00-04:00
End: 2021-10-31T23:59:59-04:00

Want a chance to win a prize* and reduce your emissions at the same time? Instead of hopping in your car by yourself, how many times can you use the FREE city bus, scooter, bike, walk, use your EV or carpool? Each of these activities will lower emissions, reduce traffic, help show demand for a non-car centric infrastructure, and encourage others to do the same. Get an entry into a prize drawing each time you post or email.

Register to set your goal HERE! Use hashtag #tzemissions. You can post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email to raleigh@towardzerowaste.org

In conjunction with the City of Raleigh’s Climate Action Pledge and Walktober celebration (https://raleighnc.gov/news/2021-08-31-october-walktober) Toward Zero Waste Raleigh is challenging you to use alternate transportation as much as possible during the month of October.

Prizes:
3 Bolt Scooter Passes with the value of $30 each
3 Citrix Bike Day Passes
5 Spin $20 promo passes

*Challenge Rules

A person is entered into the drawing each time they post a picture of themselves on our social media using the hashtag #tzemissions or email the picture to Raleigh@towardzerowaste.org showing themselves working toward zero emissions by using another form of transportation that the challenge has highlighted (bus, scooter, bike, or walk). Toward Zero Waste will also accept entries of people with their electric vehicles or carpooling. The last day to post or send in an entry will be 11:59pm on October 31st, 2021. A person needs to be 18 years-old to enter the challenge. A person is eligible to only win one prize. 11 winners will be chosen from all the entries so the more you enter the greater chance you have to win. The winners will be notified by November 12th.

Week 1- Bus

Did you know that Raleigh city buses (and all the buses in the Go Triangle system) are free through June 2022? And that they are always free for kids 12 and under, teens 13-18 with a Youth Pass, and seniors 65+.

Why not take one for a spin this month?

Raleigh Community Director, Dawn Comfort, shares how she uses the bus-

I use a combination of Google Maps and the TransLoc app (https://transloc.com/app/) to figure out my bus rides.

In Google Maps, simply plug in your destination like normal, ask for your directions from your current location, but then select bus as your mode of transportation. (BusWeek/Maps1.jpg)

You get a selection of different buses available to you complete with walk times to and from the bus stops (but ignore the cost because it’s free!) (BusWeek/Maps2.jpg)

You can also select your departure time or when you need to arrive to better plan your trip. (BusWeek/Maps3.jpg)

Once I have your plan or I’m out and about, I pull up TransLoc. TransLoc shows the routes and stops in your area. It also shows the real time location of the buses. (BusWeek/TransLoc.jpg) Now sometimes this realtime is working better than others, but it’s super useful when it’s working correctly.

Week 2- Scooter

Several years ago, Lime scooters burst onto the Raleigh scene. I looked at them very askance with everyone zipping in and out of traffic, going up on sidewalks and just leaving them everywhere. I felt sure it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously injured or killed. Obviously others agreed because they disappeared as rapidly as they appeared. Well, they’re back!

However, in the intervening years, Raleigh has made huge strides in its bike infrastructure. There’s the north-south connector, a cycle track on Harrington (south-bound) and West (north-bound). There are protected bike lanes along Morgan, Blount and Person just to name a few. This time, I’ve embraced the scooter presence. The bike lanes work great for scooters and work to keep us safe from cars and pedestrians safe from us! Even if you have to drive your car to get downtown, you can now park it for the day or evening and still easily get to all the many different parts of town you want to visit.

Come to scooter school as part of Raleigh’s Walktober celebration on 10/9 11am-2pm at Moore Square and take a test scoot.

Week 3- Bike

Last week, we talked about the new bike lanes in downtown Raleigh for scootering, but, of course, a primary use of these lanes is for cycling!

For people without cars, biking is a major form of transportation. As Nick Neptune, chair of Oaks and Spokes, said during Raleigh’s Go Green symposium, bike lanes are not merely a safety issue or an environmental issue, they are an equity issue.

As someone who has spent a fair amount time biking around Raleigh, I know that the rolling hills that make our city so pretty can be daunting on a bike and make for sweaty work during our humid summer months. Enter Citrix Cycle e-bikes.

A Citrix Cycle day pass at $6/day has to be one of the best bargains going for both transportation and entertainment.
Download the Citrix Cycle app and you will get a map of bike docking stations. There are around 25 stations scattered throughout downtown and the NC State corridor. Unlocking a bike in similar to unlocking a scooter – simply scan the bar code or enter the bike id number in the app and away you go.

Pro tip: Be sure to look for the lightning bolt on the back fender if you want e-assist. Some bikes are regular geared bikes.
You will need to dock your bike every 45 minutes, but a day pass gives you unlimited unlocking for the day.

Week 4- Walk

For the fourth and final week of the Toward Zero Emissions challenge, it seems appropriate to highlight the oldest, most basic form of transportation – walking.
If we’re lucky, walking isn’t something we think much about. If we’re not so lucky, we have to think a lot about accessibility, obstacles, and safety. One thing this challenge has made me more aware of is infrastructure, particularly sidewalks. New Bern Avenue, location of the first upcoming BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) corridor, was picked to be first because of it’s high bus ridership. It has NO sidewalks once you get east of Poole Road. I saw people walking to their bus stop in knee high grass having to navigate a culvert right by 4 lanes of traffic.
I’m happy to see that the Complete Streets model has been adopted by our metro area to work towards equitable and safe transportation for all.
For more information on initiatives, big and small, check out the different BRT plans of which first mile/last mile solutions play an integral part: https://raleighnc.gov/bus-rapid-transit
AND the different bike/pedestrian projects coming soon to a neighborhood near you?
https://raleighnc.gov/projects?type=411&funding=All&name=

Once you’ve looked your fill online, get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather. Raleigh’s WalktoberFest is winding down, but they have some special Halloween events still to come (Family Scarecrow Walk! Walking Tour of Oakwood Cemetery!) There are also some self-guided walking tours you can do whenever they fit into your schedule. I particularly recommend the Downtown Murals Tour

Raleigh Area- Toward Zero Emissions