subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, Jul 03 2009 

Published: July 03, 2008 03:16 pm    print this story  

Gas prices prompt surge in carpooling

By Melissa Waites

The North Jefferson News




As gas prices continue to rise, the Park & Ride located in Blount County has seen an increase in usage.

Park & Ride facilities are free parking lots for carpools and vanpools to meet up before commuting to work.

The Park & Ride located in Blount County, exit 284 on I-65, is operated by the Alabama Department of Transportation.

“The Park & Ride in Hayden is one of our busier meeting places in Alabama,” said Sean Saffle, project manager for CommuteSmart in Birmingham.

The CommuteSmart program is sponsored by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham and was created in 1999 to help lighten traffic congestion and reduce air pollution in Jefferson and Shelby counties.

Carpooling or vanpooling is a great way to get to and from work and more people seem to be taking advantage of it.

Jeff Dennis of Hayden commutes with co-workers from Birmingham to work in Jasper.

Wednesday was Dennis’ second time using the Park & Ride but said that the increase in gas prices has prompted him to use it.

Unlike Dennis, some Park & Ride users have enjoyed its benefits for years.

Barry McCay of Hayden has been using the Park & Ride for three years for commutes to Birmingham.

“I use it to ride with someone else to work and also because of the increase in gas prices,” McCay said.

Allison Turner of Warrior commutes to Cullman with a co-worker.

“I’ve been using the Park & Ride for five years,” Turner said. “It’s convenient and it saves on gas.”

According to the CommuteSmart Web site, carpooling can save money, reduces the wear and tear on vehicles and helps the environment by reducing pollution.

CommuteSmart is 100 percent federally-funded and all CommuterSmart services are provided at no cost to local companies and their employees, according to the groups Web site, www.commutesmarter.org

The Web site also offers an online ride match data base for commuters in search of a carpool.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has another Park & Ride located in Chilton County, south of Birmingham on I-65 at exit 219.

print this story  



Zillow
monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Premier Guide
Premium Homes

Home for rent
House for rent, Bradford Croston area, 3 bedroom, 1 bath. Laundry room. No inside animals. 681-8676. Large yard....>MORE

Home for Sale!
House for sale or rent: 2 Br, 2 BA, full basement, owner hold mortgage 631-8916 or 542-7226....>MORE

Mobile Home for Sale
‘97 mobile home 16x80 3 br, 2 ba, hardwood and tile, $29,900 call 205-492-0112....>MORE

Home for rent
House for rent in Mt. Olive, No pets. 212-8643....>MORE

Home for Sale!
FSBO Gardendale, 4 Br, 2 BA, updated completely, $159,000. Or rent for $950/month. Amy 608-0823 or 807-1047....>MORE

Home for Sale!
Reduced! 858 Honeysuckle Dr., Fultondale
4 BR/3 BA, great room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, fireplace, co
...>MORE

Mobile Home for sale
3 BR, 2 BA, 1995 Southern Energy mobile home for $26,000. 587-5156....>MORE

Home for rent
SMALL HOUSE- 1 BR, 1 BA, fenced in back yard in Mount Olive. By appointment only. Call for appointment after 4:30 p.m. w...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Extras

Cemetery Lots for sale
Oakwood Memorial Gardens, 2 plots in the devotion section. $2800. Call 915-5148....>MORE

Cemetery Lots for sale
Oakwood Memorial Gardens cemetery property for sale. One space in Garden of Devotion, extra spaces available. Price nego...>MORE

Cemetery Lots for sale
For sale: Oakwood Memorial Gardens, 2 crypts side by side heart level outside corner over looking Good Shepherd. Package...>MORE

Cemetery Lots for sale
Oakwood Memorial 2 Lots: Section 2 in the Garden of the Good Shepherd, both $4200. 631-2972. Call between 8 a.m. to 1 p....>MORE

Yard Sale!
Huge Garage Sale: Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, 8-3, 5195 Tyler Oaks Drive Mt. Olive, Furniture, toys, tools, cloth...>MORE

Lots for sale
Lot for sale: 3/4 acre in Mt. Olive on Mason Road off of Swann Road. 6060 Mason Road. All utilities, ready to build on. ...>MORE

Office Space
Shopping center Space for Lease Gardendale, 914-4821 or 249-5718...>MORE

Professional Services
Smith’s Roofing; Leaks fixed, shingles replaced, New Roof’s, flat roofs, woodwork. Quality Work. Over 30 year’s experien...>MORE

Professional Services
Smith’s Roofing; Leaks fixed, shingles replaced, New Roof’s, flat roofs, woodwork. Quality Work. Over 30 year’s experien...>MORE

Mobile Home for sale
Move in now! 3 Br, 2 Ba, Double wide in Peachtree Crossings. Owner will sell for pay off. Large great rooms, eat in kitc...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index