Still driving alone?

Avoiding a lonely commute can be easy, cheap and healthful.

By MIKE BRASSFIELD, Times Staff Writer
Published October 1, 2007

Raymond James Financial IT employee Judy Polatschek relaxes in the back seat after leaving work in St. Petersburg for her ride home to Hernando County. Polatschek is one of five riders who carpool to work everyday. Behind her is co-worker Arron Oras.
	[Martha Rial | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Mike Pease | Times (2006)] HARTline bus passengers line up and board the 6:30 a.m. 51X express bus at the Bruce B. Downs at Commerce Palm Drive park-n-ride location [Brian Cassella | Times] Nick Griffiths waits to cross Fletcher Avenue as he leaves the USF campus on his bicycle commute home to New Tampa.

TAMPA - Most of us drive to work alone every weekday, and that won't change anytime soon. But this -- the 11th annual "Commuter Choices Week" -- is intended to get drivers thinking about other options.

Tampa Bay commuters spend an average of 45 hours a year stuck in traffic -- the equivalent of a full workweek, according to a recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute. Tampa-St. Petersburg was ranked as the nation's 20th-most congested metropolitan area.

"There are a lot of people out there who have the ability to ride with someone else because they have a pretty standard schedule," said Sandi Moody, executive director of Bay Area Commuter Services, a state-funded agency that promotes car pooling. "If you try it, maybe you'll find it's easier than you think."

Five events around the region this week will feature food, music, prizes and information about the following options:

Car pooling: Bay Area Commuter Serviceshas about 6,700 bay area commuters in its database, which matches people with car pool options based on where they live and work. "No personal information is ever given out to anyone," Moody said. New participants are given the work phone numbers of other drivers they can contact. Info: toll-free 1-800-998-7433 (RIDE).

Bicycling: More than 10,000 people in the Tampa Bay area commute by bike, according to the U.S. census. Some do it for health and fitness, others because they can't afford a car. A good resource is a club such as the St. Petersburg Bicycle Club (www.stpetecycling.com), the Tampa Bay Freewheelers (www.tbfreewheelers.com), and Suncoast Cycling Club in Palm Harbor (www.suncoastcycling.com).

The bus: More locals are taking the bus than ever. The Pinellas and Hillsborough transit agencies expect a combined record of 23-million passengers year. Find trip-planning advice and extensive bus route maps and schedules on their Web sites: www.psta.net and www.hartline.org.

-Way to Go West Shore Festival: Tuesday,11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., the Towers at West Shore parking lot, 1408-1410 West Shore Blvd N.

-Clearwater Commuter Celebration: Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Clearwater City Hall parking lot, Osceola Avenue and Pierce Street.

-Ride Green Day: Thursday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., University of South Florida, crosswalk between the USF Sun Dome and the Business Administration Building.

-Festival on First Central Tower Plaza: Friday, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., downtown St. Petersburg, 360 Central Ave.

-For more information: 1-800-998-RIDE or www.TampaBayRideshare.org/ccw07.htm.

[Last modified September 30, 2007, 18:27:40]