Ditch  the car and grab a prize

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By Ken McCall 12:01 AM Friday, May 1, 2009

It’s May Day and time for the Drive Less Live More campaign to kick off its third year.

The drive to get people out of their cars is offering an expanded events calendar and a first-ever bicycling summit. And, the One Less Trip contest is offering a new grand prize: a $1,000 gift card.

The campaign — sponsored by the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, Miami Conservancy District, Five Rivers MetroParks and Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority — is an effort to get people to use alternative transportation, whether it’s walking, biking, riding the bus or carpooling.

Brenda Gibson, conservancy district public relations manager, said campaign backers are hoping to lure more people into giving alternative “modes” of transportation a try.

The One Less Trip contest offers a chance at prizes for avoiding car trips with one of the four activities. Contestants can log their trips at drivelesslivemore.org. You get one chance for the grand prize for every four trips by alternative transportation.

“We’re in our third year, and it takes a few years for people to actually make any kind of behavior change,” Gibson said. “They’ve probably been thinking about it for a year or two. They’ve seen the campaign, they’ve thought: ‘That’s a good idea. I should do that.’

“We’re hoping that they’re ready to make the jump, and that that grand prize is the extra little push to put them over the top to give it a try.”

The contest will also offer a second prize of a one-night “Staycation” at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dayton Ballet tickets and a $50 gift certificate to Coco’s Bistro. Monthly prizes will also be offered.

The first event of the campaign is May 15 with the annual Bike to Work Day pancake breakfast at the Second Street Public Market. Anybody who makes it to Second and Webster streets on a bike between 6:30 and 9 that morning can get a pancake breakfast. The first 200 riders also get giveaways.

The other big addition is the first Miami Valley Cycling Summit, Aug. 14.

Andy Williamson, assistant manager for outdoor recreation for Five Rivers MetroParks, who is coordinating the day-long event, said the summit committee is working to bring in an interesting panel of speakers. Among them: Jeff Mapes, author of “The Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Urban Communities”; the directors of the Bike Louisville and Bike Chattanooga organizations; and representatives from the League of American Bicyclists.

While 11 communities are working toward bike-friendly status with the league, Williamson said, progress is slow.

“The ultimate goal is bike-friendly status for the Miami Valley region. And the way to do that is to get these communities to work together and get a grass-roots movement going.”

Stay tuned for more details.

Ken Mccall

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