Vernon

From October 22 to 26, motorists throughout the Okanagan are encouraged to take part in the 6th Annual Okanagan Regional Carpool Week.

Photo: Trevor Rockliffe

Okanagan Regional Carpool Week hopes to reduce the amount of traffic on the road.

The promotion will take place from Oliver to the North Okanagan with the goal of reducing single-occupancy vehicles 20 per cent.

“Apart from lessening our impact on the environment, carpooling makes good economic sense for motorists,” says Wendy Majewski, Vernon’s Transportation Demand Management Coordinator.

“At a time when people are really trying to decrease their spending, carpooling is an easy way to reduce costs for fuel, parking and vehicle maintenance.”

Statistics Canada says the average Canadian household spends $12,000 annually on transportation, second only to shelter.

This year organizers hope to encourage participation by featuring prizes, which include Ticketmaster coupons, a GPS navigational system and free fuel.

In order to be in the running, individuals must register online and either write an inspirational carpool story, use the new Trip Tracker feature, or use social media to play ‘Transportation Trivia’ and ‘Carpool Tag’.

“What we’re trying to do to is, you may not be able to carpool every day of the week but at least try it once or twice a week. That’s the number of vehicles down, so it’s less impact on the environment.

Especially this time of year when we head in to winter season we get that smog fog which increases the amount of emissions from the fuel that is hazardous to our health,” says Majewski.

Majewski encourages Vernon residents commuting to Kelowna to consider the UBCO bus, which makes eight trips during the week, including a stop at the airport.

While there is limited parking for carpoolers currently in Vernon, the City of Vernon is encouraging businesses and the hospital to provide carpooling spaces in the future.