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<br />SmartTrips Program Helps Southeast and Friendly Neighbors Travel in Healthy Ways <br />Residents in south-central Eugene are the focus of this year’s SmartTrips Eugene program. SmartTrips Eugene is <br />designed to reduce drive-alone trips and increase biking, walking, rolling with a mobility device, using public transit, <br />carpooling, and combining trips in targeted geographic areas of the city. The program is funded by State Transportation <br />Planning (Urban) money administered through the local regional Metropolitan Planning Organization. <br /> <br />SmartTrips Eugene incorporates an innovative and <br />individualized marketing program that hand-delivers <br />packets of customized information to residents who <br />wish to learn more about transportation options. Key <br />components feature biking and walking maps and <br />organized activities that get people out in their <br />neighborhoods or places of employment to discover <br />how many trips they can easily, conveniently, and <br />safely make without using a car. <br /> <br />“Our goal is to provide community members in the target area with the materials and tools they need to get around <br />Eugene in a variety of ways,” says SmartTrips Coordinator Jessica Kessinger. “A wide range of transportation options <br />allows people to save money, improve their health, and improve the health of their community.” <br /> <br />There are over 6,300 households in the south-central program area, and they are served with good transit coverage, <br />well-connected streets, and many bike lanes and paths. This area is also well served by amenities such as grocery <br />stores, restaurants, and shopping within good walking and biking distance - as well as lots of parks, pools and <br />recreational opportunities. Transportation options such as transit can help participants overcome challenges like hilly <br />terrain and summer heat. <br /> <br />The south-central area of the city includes portions of council wards 1 and 2 and is roughly bound by Chambers Street <br />on the west, 18 Avenue on the south, Hilyard and Emerald streets on the east, and 46 Avenue on the south. This is the <br />thth <br />fourth SmartTrips Eugene program. Previous neighborhoods that were served by the program include Harlow, Cal <br />Young, Trainsong, Whiteaker, Jefferson-Westside and East Bethel. <br /> <br />“Based on before and after transportation surveys, our SmartTrips programs have routinely seen at least a relative <br />seven percent reduction in drive-alone trips each year,” says the City’s Active Transportation Coordinator Lindsay <br />Selser. “These programs are very effective, an extremely efficient use of funds for reducing vehicle miles traveled, and <br />they are popular and fun!” <br /> <br />Residents in the target area will get an order form in the mail or they can order online at www.smarttripseugene.com. <br />While people out of the target area cannot order a toolkit, most of the materials are available as free downloads on the <br />program website. For more information, contact Lindsay Selser at 541-682-5094. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 <br />June 18, 2015 <br />