News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  Sept. 25, 2008

Northeast Seattle 'In Motion' program encourages healthy travel

More than 7,000 households in Northeast Seattle are being invited to try out King County Metro Transit’s “In Motion” program to save money and travel in healthier ways.

In Motion is aimed at increasing the use of transit, carpooling, bicycling and walking by providing information and incentives to residents willing to pledge to drive less. In Northeast Seattle, Metro is partnering with Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center on the program, which runs through Nov. 14.

The program is targeted at people living in the area bounded by 25th Ave Northeast on the west, Northeast 65th Street on the north, and Lake Washington on the east and south. Residents in this area are invited to sign up for the program and pledge to reduce their drive-alone trips. Participants are eligible to win prizes donated by local businesses and Metro free-ride tickets. The more that people replace driving with riding the bus, carpooling, biking or walking, the more often and the more rewards they can receive. Local merchants will benefit, too, from the increased emphasis on shopping locally.

During this same time, Children’s is inviting their own employees to get In Motion, too. The goal is to encourage employees to keep up alternative commute habits they established during the summer in a hospital campaign to reduce traffic to and from its Sand Point campus. Children’s employees are being challenged to use the tips and incentives from the In Motion program to drive even less this fall.

So far, 676 Children’s employees have signed up for the fall In Motion program. In just the first three weeks, the participating employees are estimated to have driven 43,500 fewer miles – reducing their gas consumption by more than 2,100 gallons.

Metro and Children’s hope these kind of results encourage people to try new options so that they make permanent – healthier – changes in the way they travel. The Northeast Seattle program is based on successful In Motion programs held previously in various Seattle and Bellevue neighborhoods. Metro estimates the popular programs have reduced more than 249,401 miles of driving, 21,398 gallons of gas, and 415,120 pounds of CO2 emissions to date in King County.

For more information about the Northeast Seattle In Motion program, visit the program website. Or call, Metro’s Carol Cooper at (206) 684-6766.