Community Developments

Each year, RIDE Solutions challenges area commuters to take miles off our region’s roads by exploring their commute options. And each year, commuters throughout the Roanoke Valley and beyond find creative ways of avoiding tens of thousands of miles worth of trips.

If you haven’t participated before, either as an individual or an organization, now is your chance to help make the Roanoke Valley a cleaner, safer, and more prosperous place to live – just by picking one day during the month to leave your car behind and use alternative transportation.

To participate, visit www.ridesolutions.org/challenge to log in to your existing account or create a new one.

How Does the Pledge Work?

You can participate in the Ride Smart Challenge in two ways:

1. Simply take our online pledge to try biking, walking, using public transportation, or telecommuting for at least one trip during the month of May. Taking the pledge illustrates your commitment to exploring your transportation options – and makes you eligible for weekly prize drawings and other rewards!
2. Throughout May, log any trip you take at ridesolutions.org. You can log commute trips, social trips, trips to the grocery store, dining, even business meetings.  Log as an individual or part of a team. Logged trips earn you extra entries into weekly contests and count towards your Ride Smart Team total for other great prizes.

Why Take the Challenge?

Using alternative transportation can have a positive impact on almost every aspect of our community. For example:

1. Saving you money: carpooling, taking the bus, and cycling all cut your commute costs in half or more – that means more money in your pocket!
2. Keep dollars local: 90% of what you spend on a gallon of gas leaves the local economy, so saving money by driving less means more of the money you keep will be spent right here in the Roanoke Valley, supporting local businesses.
3. Keep it clean: Driving less reduces vehicle emissions, which helps keep our valley’s air clean and our skies blue. May is the traditional start of the summer ozone pollution season, so getting out of your car from time to time helps reduce the changes of smog on summer’s really hot days.
4. Keep fit: Using alternative transportation is a good way to fit exercise into your daily routine, whether it’s a five-mile bike ride to work, or a one-block walk to the bus stop.

Visit ridesolutions.org for more information on the challenge and for tons of resources to help you explore your options, from Google Transit to safe bike route requests and free carpool matches.