Monthly Archives: August 2007

By Sean Saffle

Eighty-five percent of Birmingham commuters drive alone, and the average metro commuter spends 27 hours a year trapped in traffic. Think of all the things you could do with an extra 27 hours!

You might be thinking, “I have no choice. I have to get to work.” Fortunately, there are other options out there that you might not even know exist. For those of you that need a bit more convincing, let’s look at some other reasons you might want to consider a new commute.

Collectively, Birmingham congestion costs commuters $165 million over the course of a year. Gas prices have been fluctuating, but the trend is upwards. That means that the amount of wasted money is going to keep going up over time. When gas prices spike, folks are forced to adjust their budgets to cover the extra expense. Small adjustments over time equal big dollars down the road, but there is a place to turn to lower commuting expenses.

CommuteSmart Birmingham is a program of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham. Its mission is to reduce traffic and improve air quality by encouraging the use of commute alternatives such as carpooling, vanpooling, transit, walking or biking. And if you’re already thinking that biking is impossible or transit doesn’t run by your part of town, stay with me.

More likely than not, you have a friend, relative or co-worker who lives near you and travels to the same part of town for work. If you’re not sure, CommuteSmart has a database of commuters looking to find someone like you. Sharing the ride with someone else will save you money, save wear and tear on your car and let you get to work feeling a little less stressed and a little more ready to start the day.

CommuteSmart currently works with more than 40 partners in the metro area, so you might be one step ahead of the game if your employer is one of them. Ask your employer if they work with CommuteSmart, and if they don’t, come to us directly. We also work with individual commuters.

If you got this far and still think that an alternative commute is out the question, there are a few things that you can do that will help save money and improve our air quality.

1. Combine errands – Take that handful of small trips and create one big trip.

2. Change your light bulbs -Replace regular light bulbs with energy-efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs.

3. Keep your car in shape – Get regular tune-ups, keep the tires properly inflated and change the air filter for better gas mileage.

4. Buy green – Energy Star® appliances use less energy and save money.

5. Put some muscle into it – Switch the gas-powered mower for a push model or replace the leaf blower with a rake.

6. Unplug chargers – Even when not in use, chargers for cell phones, computers, PDAs, etc. draw small amounts of electricity.

7. Don’t idle – Walk inside the restaurant instead of using the drive-thru or turn off your car while you wait to pick up the kids at school.

8. Take a bike ride or walk – Replace short car trips with trips by foot or two wheels to keep pollutants out of the air.

9. Lose the toxins – The chemicals in household cleaning products contribute to air pollution. Try buying a natural cleanser next time – or make your own with vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda.

10. Skip the drive entirely – Teleworking one or two days a week can save hundreds of dollars. Chances are you’ll be more productive too.

Take the first step to a better commute and improved air quality. Go to www.commutesmart.org. Together, we can make Birmingham a better place to live, work and play.

Sean Saffle is the Project Manager of CommuteSmart Birmingham. He can be reached at ssaffle@rpcgb.org or 1-87-RIDEMATCH.

I am always one for dreaming big dreams; it’s what leads to the development of great cities. After all I’m from a city where dreams are encouraged and sometimes fulfilled. That being said, I am still dumbfounded by people who are convinced that the future of Birmingham lies in the construction of a new Birmingham “Megaplex” outside of the city center. Rep. John Rogers hand Waymaker Properties made an announcement about the proposal yesterday according to this report in The Birmingham News.

This is not to say that the rumored locations would be bad. Despite the fact that no one will say where this might be located, conventional wisdom says that one proposed location would be near the Birmingham Race Course (close to Trussville) with another of the potential spots being in Ensley. In both cases, the redevelopment of the area would bring many good things and few negatives to the surrounding area as well as the county and state. But is there really cooperation taking place or is it some chest beating to show who has the bigger ego?

One of the things that is consistently pointed out by outsiders and locals alike is the lack of cooperation among our elected officials and the nonexistence of a cohesive plan for the future (at least a shared one). It simply baffles the mind why with all of the announced development plans for our city center, whether it’s the various hotels and businesses being lured in, plans for an entertainment district near our existing civic center facility or movements throughout the city to bring new life to our older commercial districts that we are still obsessed with reckless expansion. It is particularly disheartening when you constantly hear commercials asking us to “do your share for cleaner air” while we, at times intentionally, encourage more automotive use in our region. It’s even more disturbing that instead focusing on regional development we see everyone worrying about their tiny little kingdoms (sorry Anne) and commercials about moving your business to Moody playing within the metro area rather than outside of it.

Legion Field is about to host a professional franchise for the first time in a long time this spring. We are seeing people take leaps of faith all over the city, whether it’s new business ventures downtown in Birmingham, or Ensley. There are endless developments taking place around the region, whether it’s in Calera or Trussville, Hoover or Bessemer. While people may be proud of being separate, it will actually hurt us in the long run as the area’s sprawl will only make our traffic become more of an issue, similar to the parking lots that exist during rush hour in Charlotte in Atlanta.

Rather than take away from some of the beacons of opportunity that are happening, we need to be moving to support them more. Are there not more important things to focus investment dollars on like actually getting on the same page to expand and restore our existing convention facilities downtown and generate the energy and excitement necessary to lift the region to its ever growing potential? We can use our tax dollars to fix our transit issues or improve portions of our educational systems in a real way instead of worrying about who’s going to steal a business from someone else. Part of this is due to the reliance on sales taxes to provide services (but that’s another for another time).

If we are to shake our moniker of being The City of Perpetual Promise, perhaps the egos need to be checked at the door and the good of the region, the entire region, need to be considered. Let’s keep the excitement going where it needs to be instead of creating it somewhere else just because you don’t like the way the game is being played so you want to take your ball and play somewhere else.