VENTURA : City Urges Workers to Use Car Pools

The city of Ventura, celebrating Ride Sharing Month, has initiated a car-pooling program for its employees, aimed at reducing air pollution by encouraging alternatives to driving to work alone.

Under the program, the parking lot adjacent to the city government building will be reserved for car-pool riders, said Mike Solomon, Ventura’s ride sharing coordinator.

The program also makes all employees who walk, bike or car-pool to work eligible for monthly lotteries with $250 cash prizes.

In addition, the city has entered an agreement with a local taxicab company to provide emergency rides home for car-poolers who get sick.

Under state law, in upcoming months the city must reduce its employees’ solo rides to work by 45%, but Solomon said city officials encouraged him to begin the program immediately instead of waiting for a state deadline.

“The City Council wanted us to take a proactive stance, so we’re going ahead with the program immediately,” Solomon said.

In a related development, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District announced that last Wednesday each one of its 52 employees participated in “Don’t Drive Alone Day” by car-pooling or avoiding cars altogether. The program was organized by Evan Shipp, a planner with the department.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll get some converts,” Shipp said. “If we can do it for a day, we might stretch that into a week or a month. Eventually, we may adopt these new behaviors altogether.”