Caltrain
Local Leaders Leave Cars At Home For Dump The Pump
SamTrans and Caltrain are asking Bay Area transit leaders to demonstrate how easy it is to replace a car trip with a transit trip for Dump the Pump Day Thursday, […]
SamTrans and Caltrain are asking Bay Area transit leaders to demonstrate how easy it is to replace a car trip with a transit trip for Dump the Pump Day Thursday, June 19.
This is the ninth annual National Dump the Pump Day. The American Public Transportation Association launched the campaign in 2006 as a way of getting drivers out of their cars just as gas prices were climbing past $3 per gallon. Today, saving money is even more important as gas prices continue to rise, so this year’s theme is “Dump the Pump. Save Money. Ride Transit”
San Mateo County leaders are signing a commitment pledge to Dump the Pump later this month. Participants include:
David Canepa
Daly City Mayor
San Mateo County Transportation Authority Vice Chair
Karyl Matsumoto
South San Francisco Mayor
San Mateo County Transportation Authority Chair
Ken Yeager
Santa Clara County Supervisor
Caltrain Board
As part of their commitment, board members will use a mix of transit, walking and bicycling to make their way to work and other obligations on June 19. They will also be participating in the national conversation sparked by the event by using social media to document their travels with the hashtag #DumpthePump.
Earlier, this month the SamTrans and Caltrain boards officially declared their recognition of the event with a proclamation marking June 19 as Dump the Pump Day.
Sustainable San Mateo County Executive Director Adrienne Etherton was on hand to accept the proclamations adding, “This year, Sustainable San Mateo County is putting its focus on transportation. The latest indicators released demonstrate that active transportation answers two key issues facing our country: the obesity epidemic and climate change. Encouraging our residents to ‘Dump the Pump’ is a great way to call attention to these concerns and get people to give public transit a try.”
Caltrain and SamTrans are also inviting members of the community to join the Dump the Pump campaign by leaving their cars at home and tweeting, posting to Instagram or using some other social media tool with the hashtag #DumpthePump to document their experience.
I pledge to dump the pump as well on my way to work on the 19th! Oh wait, the 130 is gone…. so much for that idea
But how many of you will pledge to take transit *every* day?
The point isn’t to get everyone on transit every day, but to make people aware and encourage people to work transit into their routine where possible. Studies show that if everyone worked transit into their weekly schedule even once or twice they could save significant money and improve traffic congestion. Many of our staff ride Caltrain or SamTrans to work every day, including the admin of this blog.