NEWS RELEASE    City of Lawrence, KS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2006

Contact: Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator, (785) 832-3464

Jane Huesemann, Gould Evans Vice President, (785) 842-3800

Memo to employees: Get to work without a car

(Lawrence, Ks) – How do you get to work without a car? The Lawrence office of design firm Gould Evans has challenged their employees to figure it out. The firm will participate in an “alternative transportation day” this Friday as part of a larger “greening” project underway there.

Vice President Jane Huesemann said that all 22 employees will take on the task of commuting without a car.

“The hope is that if we create a day when people ‘have to’ learn how to do it, then in the future they will be more likely to do it again, or use alternative methods more often,” Huesemann said.

Participants will document their commute through photos, videos, and sketches which will then be compiled into a presentation chronicling the experience.

One option for Gould Evans employees will be to take the “T”. Lawrence Transit System staff members are visiting the firm today to share information about the bus system. The transit staff is available to give presentations to groups of any size.

According to the American Public Transportation Association of America, a person can save between $300 and $3,000 in fuel costs per year by using public transportation to commute to work.

Public Transit Administrator Cliff Galante said that an alternative transportation day is a great way for an organization to explore community resources.

“Hopefully first-time riders on the ‘T’ will see that it can be a viable way to commute to work,” Galante said. “It’s great if people can incorporate transit into their daily schedules, even if it’s just one day a week.

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