Nearly 3,000 individuals participated in the May 5-9 Way to Go! commuter challenge by using cheaper, healthier, and more earth-friendly transportation alternatives to driving alone. The Legitify team participated to learn more about and support the initiative. Legitify won the Mirco Employer category (2 to 10 employees) with 100% participation.

Our Studio is in the Wing Building at Main Street Landing and we have been on the waterfront for almost five years. I live a little over 2 miles south just off of Route 7. I've biked to work, but never fully committed to make it happen frequently.

While the benefits of not driving by myself and biking instead for me were obvious - money saved, less gas consumed, less cars on the road, no emissions from my Blue, not Green, Jeep, etc. The unforeseen benefits in participating were TIME BETTER SPENT and a new ongoing COMMITTMENT.

Here are some high moments and realizations from my TIME BETTER SPENT commuting to and from work by bike during the commuter challenge:

• Enjoying a new appreciation for the familiar beauty of Lake Champlain on the Bike Path
• Feeling more connected to Burlington, Lake Champlain and Vermont
• Towing my 2 1/2 year old son in the bike trailer to school on his new way to bikepool commute to school
• Recognizing an increase in bike commuter traffic and feeling that there was a heightened awareness on the bike path with Way To Go Participants sharing friendly smiles
• I was happily surprised to find a short cut for my commute to access the bike path off of Pine Street and realized that biking to work can be faster than driving
• Getting home from work with renewed energy
• Biking alone is way more fun than driving alone
  

Congratulations to the success of this initiative! View Press Release

Special thanks to those who inspired me to participate, including:

• Bryan Davis who is a Transportation Planner for the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization - I met Bryan recently while discussing Legitify's role in a transportation related project and he turned me on to the Commuter Challenge
  
• Local Motion and their team
• Steve Crafts of Place Creative Company - Aside from being a personal friend and working with Place on projects, I see Steve out the window daily skiing or biking on his daily commute