Friends Don’t Let Friends Bike Down Fig

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If you have a personal vendetta against somebody, recommending a bike ride or leisurely stroll through Northeast LA is a surefire way to remove them from your life. In fact, as time goes on Figueroa Street is getting increasingly unsafe, so your chances of riding to Valhalla have never been better. Ex-girlfriend? Micro-managing boss? Give them a bike or a new pair of Toms and send them off for a psychotic spin through freeway-like residential avenues.

How have we come so far, yet continually smash against Gil Cedillo’s unrelenting iron curtain of ignorance?

At least there are some government agencies out there that appear to have the public’s best interest in mind. The Metro Rideshare group has prepared some very interesting events for California Rideshare Week and paired it with the facts to back it up. They’ve even gone so far as to clarify exactly what it is they are doing:

Rideshare
Noun – ride+share – [rahyd-shair]
: the communal use of transportation
: the sharing of rides or transportation, especially among commuters

How do you Rideshare?

  • Just don’t drive alone. Instead you can ride the bus, take the train, walk to work, start a carpool, ride your bike, or join a vanpool.

Why should you Rideshare?

  • 37.3% of Greenhouse Gases are produce by transportation (CARB)
  • 71% of those emissions originate from passenger vehicles (CARB)
  • 72% of Angelenos drive to work alone (Metro Rideshare Surveys)

The idea is that if everyone brought just one friend along for their ride, then we would cut all those numbers in half, end congestion, defend children from debilitating asthma, and save the whales from extinction. What a deal!

Rideshare Week is usually a time in California when employers try and reach their employees and convince them that their free on-site parking isn’t is a great as riding the bus. But this year, Metro Rideshare has put a fun new spin on the world’s most exciting week of events. Now we have some creativity in the mix that is engaging commuters, documenting trips, providing means to non-car-travel, and giving out prizes to participants.

  1. Karaoke Rickshaw with free giveaways for commuters singing pop hits in English, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish.
  2. Guided bike rides and carpools sharing the ride to Ambulante Film Festival.
  3. Eastside Commuter Interviews gathered and published through social media to engage and discuss traveling in various communities in person and online. #Mobilizate
  4. Prize giveaways by logging your trip on the Commute Calendar at ridematch.info. You can win 7-day Metro passes, gift cards, handbags, and more!

You can view the full list of events on metro.net/rideshare. I know I’ll be singing my heart out at the Karaoke Rickshaw and joining online at #ShareTheRide.

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